Spermatogenesis and karyotypes of three species of water striders (Gerridae, Heteroptera).

Although they are of economic importance, there have been few cytogenetic studies of the Gerridae (Heteroptera) in Brazil. We examined spermatogenesis (meiosis and spermiogenesis) and nucleolar behavior in three species of the family Gerridae. Brachymetra albinerva and Halobatopsis platensis were found to have a chromosome complement of 2n = 25 (24A + X0) and Cylindrostethus palmaris 2n = 29 (28A + X0) chromosomes. Fifteen individuals of these species were collected from the reservoir of São José do Rio Preto, SP, using screens and were transported in pots containing water to the laboratory, where cytogenetic preparations were made. The polyploidy nuclei are formed by several heteropyknotic regions; cells in meiotic prophase have a heteropyknotic region that is probably the sex chromosome, and the chromosomes from chiasmata. The spermatids are rounded and have a heteropyknotic region at the periphery of the nucleus; the sperm head is small, with a long tail. Silver impregnation of meiotic cells showed one or more disorganized bodies around the perichromosomal sheath. The round spermatids had two bodies next to each other, but these were elongated; one of the bodies remained in the head and the other migrated to the initial part of the tail at the end of spermagenesis, when the staining was no longer evident. The meiotic cells appear during spermatogenesis and have very similar silver-impregnation patterns in different species of Heteroptera.

Lidar observation campaign of sugar cane fires and industrial emissions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

Brazil has an important role in the biomass burning, with the detection of approximately 100,000 burning spots in a single year (2007). Most of these spots occur in the southern part of the Amazon basin during the dry season (from August to november) and these emissions reach the southeast of the country, a highly populated region and with serious urban air pollution problems. With the growing demand on biofuels, sugarcane is considerably expanding in the state of São Paulo, being a strong contributor to the bad air quality in this region. In the state of São Paulo, the main land use are pasture and sugarcane crop, that covers around 50% and 10% of the total area, respectively. Despite the aerosol from sugarcane burning having reduced atmospheric residence time, from a few days to some weeks, they might get together with those aerosol which spread over long distances (hundreds to thousands of kilometers). In the period of June through February 2010 a LIDAR observation campaign was carried in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in order to observe and characterize optically the aerosols from two distinct sources, namely, sugar cane biomass burning and industrial emissions. For this purpose 2 LIDAR systems were available, one mobile and the other placed in a laboratory, both working in the visible (532 nm) and additionally the mobile system had a Raman channel available (607 nm). Also this campaign counted with a SODAR, a meteorological RADAR specially set up to detect aerosol echoes and gas-particle analyzers. To guarantee a good regional coverage 4 distinct sites were available to deploy the instruments, 2 in the near field of biomass burning activities (Rio Claro and Bauru), one for industrial emissions (Cubatão) and others from urban sources (São Paulo). The whole campaign provide the equivalent of 30 days of measurements which allowed us to get aerosol optical properties such as backscattering/extinction coefficients, scatter and LIDAR ratios, those were used to correlate with air quality and meteorological indicators and quantities. In this paper we should focus on the preliminary results of the Raman LIDAR system and its derived aerosol optical quantities. © 2010 Copyright SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering.

Vascular flora of a cerrado sensu stricto remnant in pratânia, state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil

The Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) has suffered massive destruction in recent years, mainly due to the expansion of agricultural areas. Many remnants of this vegetation are still poorly studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to carry out a floristic survey in a remnant of Cerrado in the municipality of Pratânia, central-west region of state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. In total, 120 species (38 families, 88 genera) were registered. The families with greater richness were: Fabaceae (23 species), Asteraceae (15), Myrtaceae (10), Malpighiaceae and Rubiaceae (seven each) and Bignoniaceae (five). The shrub component was predominant in the study area representing 37.5% of the recorded species. A comparison among eight Cerrado areas showed greater similarity between areas with similar altitude. © 2010 Check List and Authors.

Emissions from sugar cane fires in the Central & Western State of São Paulo and aerosol layers over metropolitan São Paulo observed by IPEN's lidar: Is there a connection?

The central and western parts of the State of São Paulo are well-known for vast sugar cane plantations, which during the harvest time are traditionally burnt about 12 hours before manual cutting. This procedure causes the release of large quantities of aerosols and a variety of gases, which can be observed by IPMet's radars, located in Bauru and Presidente Prudente, on days with no or little rain. Depending on the distance of these plumes from the radar, they can be detected up to 5 km amsl or more, and are subsequently being transported by winds to other regions. During the dry winter season of 2008, such plumes, attributed to cane fires, were frequently observed by IPMet's radars and documented in terms of radar reflectivity, time and location during the period 10 th - 21 st July 2008. At the same time, IPEN's Elastic Backscatter Lidar in São Paulo observed layers of aerosols of variable strength and heights above the city. The most significant days, viz. 14 and 15 July 2008 had been selected for calculating backward, as well as forward trajectories, deploying the European Flextra 3.3 Trajectory Model, which was initiated with ECMWF historic data with a 0,25 o×0,25 o grid spacing. The results presented here show an excellent match between the radar-detected sources of the plumes on 11 th July 2008 in the central parts of the State and the observations by IPEN's Lidar over Metropolitan São Paulo on 14 th July 2008, both in terms of forward and backward trajectories, as well as their heights, with a transport duration of approximately 70 hours under the prevailing meteorological conditions. © Sociedad Española de Óptica.

Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) on plants of the central region of the Brazilian cerrado

Four surveys of Phytoseiidae species associated with native plants were conducted in ten fragments of Cerrado sensu stricto to determine the species associated with the plants of this region. Twelve of the most common plant species were sampled in each fragment. Twenty six phytoseiid species were recorded during the surveys. Stryphnodendron adstringens was the host plant that had the highest number of species (eight species). Amblyseius neochiapensis Lofego, Moraes and McMurtry 2000 and Neoseiulus tunus (De Leon) 1967 were the most common phytoseiid species. These species occurred on 24 and 20 host species, respectively. Approximately 76 % of the phytoseiids found belonged to the subfamily Amblyseiinae Muma, 1961. Almost 27 % of phytoseiid species recorded were associated with only one plant species. In addition, approximately two thirds of species found in this study also occur in the Atlantic Forest. The comparison of our results from the central areas with previous surveys in peripheral areas of the Cerrado showed that only 12 phytoseiid species were common to both areas.

Granular cell tumor presenting as a tongue nodule: Two case reports

Introduction. Granular cell tumor is an uncommon neoplasm that can occur in any part of the body, including the orofacial region. The tumor is usually benign, but there are reports of cases in which the tumor shows a locally aggressive behavior, malignancy, and distant metastases. The most widely accepted hypothesis is that granular cell tumor arises from the altered metabolism of Schwann cells. The tumor is typically asymptomatic and appears as a nodule that does not exceed 3 cm. Case presentation. In case 1, a 26-year-old Caucasian man was seen at the Oral Medicine out-patient clinic of the São José dos Campos Dental School, Universidade Estadual Paulista, with a 'small blister on the tongue', which he had noted approximately three years ago. The nodule was located on the dorsum of the tongue, measured about 1.5 cm in diameter, and was not tender to palpation. Treatment consisted of an excisional biopsy performed on the basis of the diagnostic hypothesis of granular cell tumor, which was confirmed by microscopic analysis. In case 2, a 31-year-old Caucasian woman attended the out-patient clinic of the São José dos Campos Dental School, Universidade Estadual Paulista, with a five-year history of a 'painful lump on the tongue'. Intra-oral examination revealed the presence of a nodular lesion measuring approximately 0.8 cm in diameter, which was located deep in the submucosa of the right lateral margin of the tongue. Treatment consisted of an excisional biopsy performed on the basis of the differential diagnosis of neurofibroma and granular cell tumor. Microscopic analysis defined the final diagnosis of granular cell tumor. Conclusions: Granular cell tumor is an uncommon tumor that must be carefully diagnosed and treated correctly. © 2012 Sena Costa et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

American visceral leishmaniasis: Factors associated with lethality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Objectives. To identify factors associated with death in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases. Patients and Methodology. We evaluated prognostic factors for death from VL in São Paulo state, Brazil, from 1999 to 2005. A prognostic study nested in a clinical cohort was carried out by data analysis of 376 medical files. A comparison between VL fatal cases and survivors was performed for clinical, laboratory, and biological features. Association between variables and death was assessed by univariate analysis, and the multiple logistic regression model was used to determine adjusted odds ratio for death, controlling confounding factors. Results. Data analysis identified 53 fatal cases out of 376 patients, between 1999 and 2005 in São Paulo state. Lethality was 14.1 (53/376), being higher in patients older than fifty years. The main causes of death were sepsis, bleeding, liver failure, and cardiotoxicity due to treatment. Variables significantly associated with death were severe anemia, bleeding, heart failure, jaundice, diarrhea, fever for more than sixty days, age older than fifty years, and antibiotic use. Conclusion. Educational health measures are needed for the general population and continuing education programs for health professionals working in the affected areas with the purpose of identifying and treating early cases, thus preventing the disease evolution towards death. © 2012 Geraldine Madalosso et al.

Study of thermal comfort in the city of são paulo using ENVI-met model

This study is aimed to analyze the thermal comfort in different areas in the city of São Paulo. Two different areas were selected, a densely built (Consolação district) and the other was Fontes do Ipiranga State Park (FISP), an area with only a few buildings and reduced impermeability. A micro-climatic ENVImet was used to simulate the interaction surface-atmosphere in the urban environment. The model resolution is between 0.5 and 10m. This model was developed by Bruse and Fleer (1998) and Bruse (2004). Through the thermal comfort index PMV (predicted mean vote) and MRT (mean radiant temperature) provided by the model, it revealed that the State Park displays PMV values close to comfortable compared to the other studied area. The analysis of thermal comfort index and the Wind flow showed the influence of high buildings in the local climatic environment.

Crustal growth in the 3.4-2.7Ga São José de Campestre Massif, Borborema Province, NE Brazil

The Archean (3.45-2.70Ga) rocks of the São José do Campestre Massif (SJCM) in the Borborema Province (NE Brazil) make up a small area (~6000km2) and are composed of granitoids and metasupracrustal rocks that define a complex magmatic and deformational history. The massif provides the opportunity to study mantle- and crustal-derived magmas generated since the Palaeoarchean. The orthogneisses of the SJCM are composed of: (1) tonalite to granodiorite with diorite enclaves (Bom Jesus gneiss, 3412±8Ma; TDM Nd model ages from 4.1 to 3.5Ga and negative epsilon Nd values); (2) biotite and ferroan-diopside monzogranite (Presidente Juscelino complex, 3356±21Ma and 3251±44Ma; TDM model ages range from 4.1 to 3.4Ga and epsilon Nd values that are slightly positive to negative); (3) hornblende tonalite to granodiorite (Brejinho complex, 3333±77Ma and 3187±8Ma; dominantly positive epsilon Nd values and TDM ages from 3.6 to 3.2Ga); (4) biotite monzogranite (São Pedro do Potengi gneiss, 3120±22Ma; TDM =3.5Ga; negative epsilon Nd value); (5) ferroan-diopside-grossular anorthosite and metagabbro (Senador Elói de Souza complex, 3033±3Ma); and (6) quartz diorite to syenogranite (São José do Campestre complex; 2685±9Ma and 2655±4Ma; negative epsilon Nd values and TDM ages from 3.9 to 3.3Ga). The orthogneisses are subalkaline to faintly alkaline, magnesian to ferroan, M- and I-type granitoids that follow either the K-enrichment or the trondhjemite trends. Each group has a subset with REE characteristics similar to Archean TTG and another that is analogous to Phanerozoic granitoids. They have negative Ta-Nb and Ti anomalies and have trace element contents of granitoids from subduction zones. Geochemical and Nd isotope data suggest that subducted oceanic crust and a depleted and metasomatised mantle wedge both acted as the magma sources. We propose a convergent tectonic model in which hybridisation of the upper mantle occurs through interactions with adakitic or trondhjemitic melts and recycling of earlier crust. The results imply that both the subducted oceanic crust and the mantle wedge played major roles in continent formation throughout successive episodes of arc accretion in Palaeo- and Mesoarchean times. The Archean rocks of the SJCM shares some similarities with the Pilbara, Kaapvaal, West African, and São Francisco cratons. However, the most reliable comparisons with the SJCM are with the neighbouring basement of the Nigeria and Cameroon shields. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Occurrence of mycobacteria in bovine milk samples from both individual and collective bulk tanks at farms and informal markets in the southeast region of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Background: Mycobacterium spp. is one of the most important species of zoonotic pathogens that can be transmitted from cattle to humans. The presence of these opportunistic, pathogenic bacteria in bovine milk has emerged as a public-health concern, especially among individuals who consume raw milk and related dairy products. To address this concern, the Brazilian control and eradication program focusing on bovine tuberculosis, was established in 2001. However, bovine tuberculosis continues to afflict approximately 1,3 percent of the cattle in Brazil. In the present study, 300 samples of milk from bovine herds, obtained from both individual and collective bulk tanks and informal points of sale, were cultured on Löwenstein-Jensen and Stonebrink media. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based tests and restriction-enzyme pattern analysis were then performed on the colonies exhibiting phenotypes suggestive of Mycobacterium spp., which were characterized as acid-fast bacilli.Results: Of the 300 bovine milk samples that were processed, 24 were positively identified as Mycobacterium spp.Molecular identification detected 15 unique mycobacterial species: Mycobacterium bovis, M. gordonae, M. fortuitum, M. intracellulare, M. flavescens, M. duvalii, M. haemophilum, M. immunogenum, M. lentiflavum, M. mucogenicum, M. novocastrense, M. parafortuitum, M. smegmatis, M. terrae and M. vaccae. The isolation of bacteria from the various locations occurred in the following proportions: 9 percent of the individual bulk-tank samples, 7 percent of the collective bulk-tank samples and 8 percent of the informal-trade samples. No statistically significant difference was observed between the presence of Mycobacterium spp. in the three types of samples collected, the milk production profiles, the presence of veterinary assistance and the reported concerns about bovine tuberculosis prevention in the herds.Conclusion: The microbiological cultures associated with PCR-based identification tests are possible tools for the investigation of the presence of Mycobacterium spp. in milk samples. Using these methods, we found that the Brazilian population may be regularly exposed to mycobacteria by consuming raw bovine milk and related dairy products. These evidences reinforces the need to optimize quality programs of dairy products, to intensify the sanitary inspection of these products and the necessity of further studies on the presence of Mycobacterium spp. in milk and milk-based products. © 2013 Franco et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Analysis of hybrid waste-to-energy for medium-sized cities

Urban centers have a huge demand for electricity and the growing problem of the solid waste management generated by their population, a relevant social and administrative problem. The correct disposal of the municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in cities is one of the most complex engineering problems that involves logistics, safety, environmental and energetic aspects for its adequate management. Due to a national policy of solid wastes recently promulgated, Brazilian cities are evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of incinerating the non-recyclable waste. São José dos Campos, a São Paulo State industrialized city, is considering the composting of organic waste for biogas production and mass incineration of non-recyclable waste. This paper presents a waste-to-energy system based on the integration of gas turbines to a MSW incinerator for producing thermal and electric energy as an alternative solution for the solid waste disposal in São José dos Campos, SP. A technical and economic feasibility study for the hybrid combined cycle plant is presented and revealed to be attractive when carbon credit and waste tax are included in the project income. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Molecular and serological prevalence of Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina in water buffaloes in the north region of Brazil

Bovine babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused mainly by Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina, which are associated to considerable economic losses in cattle herds worldwide. Approximately 60% of buffalo herds in South America are located in Northern Brazil. Little is known about the impact of babesiosis on buffalo herds in Brazil. The present work aimed to verify the occurrence of B. bovis and B. bigemina in 542 water buffaloes in the state of Pará, Northern Brazil, using molecular and serological techniques. The percentage of seropositive animals for B. bovis and B. bigemina was 41.2% and 19.0%, respectively, by ELISA. B. bovis and B. bigemina DNA were detected in 15 and 16% of sampled buffaloes, respectively. A high correlation (Kappa index of 0.9) between serological and molecular tests suggests that the combination of the utilized techniques in the present study is suitable for babesiosis diagnosis in an endemic unstable area. Significantly difference of positivity for serological and molecular assays was verified to localities and reproductive status of sampled animals, but not between buffalo breeds. The immune status of sampled buffaloes associated to the circulation of babesiosis agents in sampled population suggests that the studied area is at risk to clinical babesiosis outbreaks. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that this region can be classified as endemically unstable. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Resistance of beef cattle of two genetic groups to ectoparasites and gastrointestinal nematodes in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

The resistance to infestations by ectoparasites and infections by gastrointestinal nematodes was studied in 45 animals (males and females) of two genetic groups: purebred Nelore (NI, n=28) and Three-Cross (1/2 Angus+1/4 Canchim+1/4 Nelore - TC, n=17). The animals were monitored for 24months, during which they were left to graze in tropical pastures without receiving treatment for parasites. Each month the animals were examined for infestations by external parasites, to count the numbers of cattle ticks Rhipicephalus microplus with diameter greater than 4.5mm present on the left side, horn flies (Haematobia irritans) present in the lumbar region and botfly larvae (Dermatobia hominis) present on the entire body. The H. irritans counts were performed with the aid of digital photographs. At the time of examination, fecal samples were collected to count the eggs per gram (EPG) and to perform coprocultures, and peripheral blood samples were drawn to determine the packed cell volume (PCV) and to count the eosinophils. For statistical analysis, the count data were transformed into log10 (n+1), where n is the number of parasites. For PCV, significant effects (P<0.05) were found for collection month (CO), genetic group (GG) and gender (SX), with means and respective standard errors of 41.5±0.65% for the NI animals, 39.3±0.83% for the TC, 41.5±0.72% for the females and 39.3±0.77% for the males. Regarding the eosinophil counts, only the effect of sex was significant (P<0.01), with means and respective standard errors of 926.0±46.2/μL, for males and 1088.0±43.8/μL of blood, for females. The NI animals presented lower mean counts for all the external parasites compared to the TC animals (P<0.01). For ticks, the transformed means followed by standard errors for the NI and TC animals were 0.06±0.01 and 0.34±0.02, while for horn flies these were 0.92±0.05 and 1.36±0.06 and for botfly larvae they were 0.05±0.03 and 0.45±0.05, respectively. The average EPG values were only influenced by CO (P<0.01). The coprocultures revealed the presence of the following endoparasites: Haemonchus spp., Cooperia spp., Oesophagostomum spp. and Trichostrongylus spp., the last in smaller proportion. There were no significant differences between the genetic groups for the endoparasite loads, except for Cooperia spp., which were present in greater number (P<0.05) in the NI group. The results obtained in this experiment confirm previous findings of greater susceptibility of the Nelore breed to Cooperia spp. and high resistance to ectoparasites. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

O apagamento do /d/ em morfema de gerúndio no dialeto de São José do Rio Preto

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

A concordância verbal na língua falada na região noroeste do Estado de São Paulo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)