Influence of seasonal changes in daily activity and annual life cycle of Geotrigona mombuca (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in a Cerrado habitat, São Paulo, Brazil

The foraging activity of Geotrigona mombuca Smith, 1863 was studied under natural conditions aiming to verify the influence of seasonal changes on daily flight activity and annual cycle of the colony. Daily flight activity was monitored for a year based on the observation and counting of foragers leaving and entering the hive, as well as the kind of material transported and meteorological factors such as day time, temperature and relative humidity. The influence of seasonal changes was evidenced by alterations on daily rhythm of flight activity and by differences on transportation of food resources, building material and garbage. These data indicate that forager behavior is related to daily microclimate conditions and it is synchronized with the requirements of colony annual cycle, which determines an intense pollen collection in the summer. Thus, the recomposition of the intranidal population in spring and summer can be ensured, which is characterized both for a higher intensity of flight activity and increase in garbage and resin transport, as well as the swarming process in the spring. In this way, an action targeting the preservation or management of the species in a natural environment should consider that survival and reproduction of the colony depends greatly on the amount of available pollen in late winter.

In Vitro Antiparasitic Activity and Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil Obtained from the Fruits of Piper cubeba

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Comparing two different superovulation protocols on ovarian activity and fecal glucocorticoid levels in the brown brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Antioxidant activity and determination of total phenol contents, carotenoids, beta-carotene, lycopene and zinc in white, yellow and pinkish varieties of manihot esculenta crantz

There are cassava varieties that present compounds as carotenoids, beta-carotene, lycopene and minerals important for human and animal health. The present study evaluated the antioxidant activity of the white, yellow and pinkish varieties of Manihot esculenta, by mean of the DPPH test and by the ferrous ion-chelating activity. Furthermore, the total phenols, carotenoids, beta-carotene, lycopene and zinc contents were also determined. Utilizing the DPPH test it was possible to find that extracts of boiled samples presented higher antioxidant activity (89.53% -pinkish) in comparison to the fresh samples (1.97% -white). For the ferrous ion-chelating test, the highest activity was found for the boiled pinkish variety extract (63.43%) and the lowest was for fresh yellow extract (17.34%) the white sample did not present activity. The highest concentration of total phenols and zinc content was obtained for the boiled pinkish variety extract 136.12 mg EAG/g of extract and 0,811ppm, respectively, in the concentration of 1000 mu g/mL. The pinkish variety presented also higher quantity of pigments, including carotenoid (29.40 mu g/g), beta-carotene (9.14 mu g/100g) and lycopene (68.92%). According to the results obtained in this study it was possible to conclude that the yellow and pinkish varieties of M. esculenta present quantity of phenolic compounds and minerals sufficient to attribute the antioxidant activity and may thus contribute to reduce oxidative damage and be used as nutraceuticals or directly ingested in the diet to maintain good health.

Decreased rate of protein synthesis, caspase-3 activity, and ubiquitin-proteasome proteolysis in soleus muscles from growing rats fed a low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Eugenia calycina Cambess extracts and their fractions: Their antimicrobial activity and the identification of major polar compounds using electrospray ionization FT-ICR mass spectrometry

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Evaluation of Antimalarial Activity and Toxicity of a New Primaquine Prodrug

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

Foraging Activity and Seasonal Food Preference of Linepithema micans (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), a Species Associated With the Spread of Eurhizococcus brasiliensis (Hemiptera: Margarodidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Evaluation of the antimutagenic activity and mode of action of the fructooligosaccharide inulin in the meristematic cells of Allium cepa culture

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Modulation of the activity and selectivity of the immobilized lipases by surfactants and solvents

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