Growth rate of a terra firme rain forest in Brazilian Amazonia over an eight-year period in response to logging

This paper deals with growth rates of trees > 5cm dbh over an eight-year period from 257 species at the Tapajós National Forest. The discussion is centred on the behaviour of the forest after logging. Permanent sample plots were established in 1981 and measured at the first time. The area was logged in 1982. Measurements after logging occurred in 1983, 1987 and 1989. Considering all species together, diameter increment was similar for both intensities of logging until five years after logging. Light-demanding species showed significantly higher growth rates than shade-tolerant species in the logged forest, with greater increment in the heavier treatment intensity. Commercial species also had higher growth rates in the heavier logged area, although those were significantly different only in the period from one to five years after logging. In the undisturbed forest, growth rates increased with increasing dbh size. At species level, growth rate varied between and within treatments, as well as between trees within species, depending mainly on degree of canopy opening. The logging favoured the growth of commercial species, chiefly the light-demanders. Therefore, if the same growth conditions continue being given, for example by silvicultural treatments, to those species of commercial interest, the forest would reach a stock available for harvesting around year 30 after logging. However, the high variation in increment rates indicates that an eight-year period is not sufficient to allow predictions on cutting cycles or polycyclic management systems for the study forest.

Improving buildings energy performance: comparison between simple payback period and life cycle costs analysis

The building sector is one of the Europeâ s main energy consumer, making buildings an important target for a wiser energy use, improving indoor comfort conditions and reducing the energy consumption. To achieve the European Union targets for energy consumption and carbon reductions it is crucial to act in new, but also in existing buildings, which constitute the majority of the building stock. In existing buildings, the significant improvement of their efficiency requires important investments. Therefore, costs are a major concern in the decision making process and the analysis of the cost effectiveness of the interventions is an important path in the guidance for the selection of the different renovation scenarios. The Portuguese thermal legislation considers the simple payback method for the calculations of the time for the return of the investment. However, this method does not take into consideration inflation, cash flows and cost of capital, as well as the future costs of energy and the building elements lifetime as it happens in a life cycle cost analysis. In order to understand the impact of the economic analysis method used in the choice of the renovation measures, a case study has been analysed using simple payback calculations and life cycle costs analysis. Overall results show that less far-reaching renovation measures are indicated when using the simple payback calculations which may be leading to solutions less cost-effective in a long run perspective.

Symptoms and signs in rigid gas permeable lens wearers during adaptation period

Objectives: To evaluate neophyte contact lens wearers’ fitting to rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses in terms of wearing time, tear volume, stability, corneal staining, and subjective ratings, over a 1-month period of time. Methods: Twenty-two young healthy subjects were enrolled for wearing RGP on a daily wear basis. The participants included in this study never wore contact lenses and showed a value under 10 in McMonnies Questionnaire. Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire, Visual Analog Scales, Schirmer test, tear film break-up time (BUT), and corneal staining grading were performed. Follow-up visits were scheduled at 1, 7, 15, and 28 days. Results: Six subjects dropped out due to discomfort from the study before 1 month (27% of discontinuation rate). Successful RGP wearers (16 participants) achieved high levels of subjective vision and reported comfort scores of approximately 9 of 10 between 10 and 15 days. They reported wearing their lenses for an average of 10.1262.43 hr after 1 month of wear. Conversely, unsuccessful wearers discontinued wearing the lenses after the first 10 to 15 days, showing comfort scores and wearing time significantly lower compared with the first day of wear. Schirmer test showed a signifi- cant increase at 10 days (P,0.001), and the BUT trends decreased after the first week of wear in unsuccessful group. Conclusions: Symptomatology related with dryness and discomfort, detected during the first 10 days of the adaptation, may help the clinician to predict those participants who will potentially fail to adapt to RGP lens wear.

Cryptic species in Pagamea coriacea sensu lato (Rubiaceae): evidence from morphology, ecology and reproductive behavior in a sympatric context

In this study we explore morphological and ecological variation in sympatric populations of Pagamea coriacea s.l. - a species complex from white-sand vegetation in the Amazon. A total of 147 trees were sampled and monitored at three nearby sites in Central Amazon, Brazil. Multivariate analyses of morphology indicated two distinct groups (A and B), which also differed in bark type, each containing subgroups associated with sexual dimorphism. However, a single hermaphroditic individual was observed within group B. As expected, all pistillate plants produced fruits, but 23% of the staminate plants of group B, and 5% of group A also produced fruits. This variation suggests that the sexual systems of both groups are between dioecy and gynodioecy. There was an overlap in flowering phases between the two groups, but the pattern of floral maturation differed. Ecologically, plants of group B were found in more shaded habitats and over sandstone bedrocks, while group A was prevalent in deeper sandy soils as canopy plants. The significances of morphological and environmental differences were tested by a multivariate analysis of variance, and a canonical discriminant analysis assessed the importance of variables. The coexistence in sympatry of two discrete morphological groups in the P. coriacea s.l., with different habitat preferences and reproductive behaviors, indicates they represent distinct species.

Reproductive biology of Ameerega trivittata (Anura: Dendrobatidae) in an area of terra firme forest in eastern Amazonia

The reproductive success of tropical amphibians is influenced by factors such as body size and the characteristics of breeding sites. Data on reproductive biology are important for the understanding of population dynamics and the maintenance of species. The objectives of the present study were to examine the abundance of Ameerega trivittata, analyze the use of microhabitats by calling males and the snout-vent length (SVL) of breeding males and females, the number of tadpoles carried by the males and mature oocytes in the females, as well as the relationship between the SVL of the female and both the number and mean size of the mature oocytes found in the ovaries. Three field trips were conducted between January and September, 2009. A total of 31 plots, with a mean area of 2.3 ha, were surveyed, resulting in records of 235 individuals, with a mean density of 3.26 individuals per hectare. Overall, 66.1% of the individuals sighted were located in the leaf litter, while 17.4% were perched on decaying tree trunks on the forest floor, 15.7% on the aerial roots of Cecropia trees, and 0.8% on lianas. Males were observed transporting a mean of 10.8 tadpoles on their backs. A significant correlation was found between the size of the females and the mean diameter of the oocytes. New data were collected on the size of oocytes and no pattern was found in the type of perches used by calling males of the different Ameerega species.

Ex situ collection of Limonium spp.: cytogenetic and reproductive characterization for the conservation of rare species

Dissertação mestrado em Biologia Molecular, Biotecnologia e Bioempreendedorismo em Plantas

Mitral restenosis in the early postoperative period of a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus

A forty eight year old woman, who had undergone mitral comissurotomy and subsequently developed early restenosis, presented with major comissural fusion and verrucous lesions on the cuspid edges of the mitral valve, with normal subvalvar apparatus. Patient did well for the first six months after surgery when she began to present dyspnea on light exertion. A clinical diagnosis of restenosis was made, which was confirmed by an echocardiogram and cardiac catheterization. She underwent surgery, and a stenotic mitral valve with verrucous lesions suggesting Libman-Sacks' endocarditis was found. Because the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) had not been confirmed at that time, a bovine pericardium bioprosthesis (FISICS-INCOR) was implanted. The patient did well in the late follow-up and is now in NYHA Class I .

Comparison between right and left ventricular myocardia during the human fetal period. Stereological evaluation

PURPOSE: To develop a stereological comparison between right (RV) and left ventricle (LV) myocardium during the third human gestational trimester. METHODS: Five human fetal hearts of the third trimester provided representative samples of 5 RV myocardium and 4 LV myocardium. The material was fixed in 10% buffered formaldehyde, and processed through routine methods. Fifteen microscopic fields were randomly chosen and counted in each ventricular myocardium using an "M-42" test system. The following stereological parameters were assessed: Vv (%), Lv (µm²), Sv (µm²/µm³), Vp (µm³), Nv (1/mm³) and total N. RESULTS: No significant difference between the stereological parameters of the myocardial structures assessed was evidenced, when comparing RV and LV. CONCLUSION: Right and left human ventricular myocardium are very similar during the fetal period at least in regard to their structural aspects.

Invasive hemodynamic monitoring in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery

OBJETIVE: To assess the hemodynamic profile of cardiac surgery patients with circulatory instability in the early postoperative period (POP). METHODS: Over a two-year period, 306 patients underwent cardiac surgery. Thirty had hemodynamic instability in the early POP and were monitored with the Swan-Ganz catheter. The following parameters were evaluated: cardiac index (CI), systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance, pulmonary shunt, central venous pressure (CVP), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), oxygen delivery and consumption, use of vasoactive drugs and of circulatory support. RESULTS: Twenty patients had low cardiac index (CI), and 10 had normal or high CI. Systemic vascular resistance was decreased in 11 patients. There was no correlation between oxygen delivery (DO2) and consumption (VO2), p=0.42, and no correlation between CVP and PCWP, p=0.065. Pulmonary vascular resistance was decreased in 15 patients and the pulmonary shunt was increased in 19. Two patients with CI < 2L/min/m² received circulatory support. CONCLUSION: Patients in the POP of cardiac surgery frequently have a mixed shock due to the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Therefore, invasive hemodynamic monitoring is useful in handling blood volume, choice of vasoactive drugs, and indication for circulatory support.

Mortality due to cardiovascular disease in women during the reproductive age (15 to 49 years), in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, from 1991 to 1995

OBJECTIVE: To describe mortality due to cardiovascular diseases in women during the reproductive age (15 to 49 years) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, from 1991 to 1995. METHODS: A list of all deaths and their underlying causes, coded according to the International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, multiple causes of death, and estimates of the female population according to age groups were provided by the SEADE Foundation. Specific coefficients for 100 thousand women for each year as well as the medians of these coefficients related to 5 years, and the percentage of death by subgroups were calculated. RESULTS: Cerebrovascular diseases have the highest coefficients (14.24 for 100 thousand females), followed by ischemic heart disease (7.37), other heart diseases (6.39), hypertensive disease (3.03), chronic rheumatic heart disease (1.58), pulmonary vascular diseases (1.29), and active rheumatic fever (0.05). Systemic arterial hypertension, as an associated cause, occurred in 55.3% to 57.8% of all the deaths due to intracerebral hemorrhage and in 30.4% to 30.8% due to subarachnoid hemorrhage. CONCLUSION: The significance of cerebrovascular diseases, coronary artery disease, and systemic arterial hypertension as causes of mortality suggests the need to emphasize preventive actions for young women who have the potential to reproduce to avoid possible complications in future pregnancies, and premature mortality.

Assessment of splanchnic perfusion with gastric tonometry in the immediate postoperative period of cardiac surgery in children

OBJECTIVE - A prospective, nonrandomized clinical study to assess splanchnic perfusion based on intramucosal pH in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery and to check the evolution of patients during hospitalization. METHODS - We studied 10 children, during the immediate postoperative period after elective cardiac surgery. Sequential intramucosal pH measurements were taken, without dobutamine (T0) and with 5mcg/kg/min (T1) and 10 (T2) mcg/kg/min. In the pediatric intensive care unit, intramucosal pH measurements were made on admission and 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours thereafter. RESULTS - The patients had an increase in intramucosal pH values with dobutamine 10mcg/kg/min [7.19± 0.09 (T0), 7.16±0.13(T1), and 7.32±0.16(T2)], (p=0.103). During the hospitalization period, the intramucosal pH values were the following: 7.20±0.13 (upon admission), 7.27±0.16 (after 4 hours), 7.26±0.07 (after 8 hours), 7.32±0.12 (after 12 hours), and 7.38±0.08 (after 24 hours), (p=0.045). No deaths occurred, and none of the patients developed multiple organ and systems dysfunction. CONCLUSION - An increase in and normalization of intramucosal pH was observed after dobutamine use. Measurement of intramucosal pH is a type of monitoring that is easy to perform and free of complications in children during the postoperative period of cardiac surgery.

Surgical treatment of partial atrioventricular septal defect: functional analysis of the mitral valve in the postoperative period

OBJECTIVE: To study mitral valve function in the postoperative period after correction of the partial form of atrioventricular septal defect. METHODS: Fifty patients underwent surgical correction of the partial form of atrioventricular septal defect. Their mean age was 11.8 years and 62% of the patients were males. Preoperative echocardiography showed moderate and severe mitral insufficiency in 44% of the patients. The mitral valve cleft was sutured in 45 (90%) patients (group II - GII). Echocardiographies were performed in the early postoperative period, and 6 and 12 months after hospital discharge. RESULTS: The patients who had some type of arrhythmia in the postoperative period had ostium primum atrial septal defect of a larger size (2.74 x 2.08 cm). All 5 patients in group I (GI), who did not undergo closure of the cleft, had a competent mitral valve or mild mitral insufficiency in the preoperative period. One of these patients began to have moderate mitral insufficiency in the postoperative period. On the other hand, in GII, 88.8% and 82.2% of the patients had competent mitral valve or mild mitral insufficiency in the early and late postoperative periods, respectively. CONCLUSION: The mitral valve cleft was repaired in 90% of cases. Echocardiography revealed competent mitral valve or mild mitral insufficiency in 88.8% and 82.2% of GII patients in the early and late postoperative periods, respectively.

Right ventricular diastolic dysfunction in the postoperative period of tetralogy of Fallot

OBJECTIVE: To assess right ventricular diastolic function in the intermediate postoperative period of repair of tetralogy of Fallot. METHODS: We carried out a case-control study with 60 patients divided into 2 groups as follows: 1) group I - 30 patients who had undergone repair of tetralogy of Fallot and 2) group II - 30 healthy children. The 2 groups were paired for age, sex, and body surface. The flows in the pulmonary and tricuspid valves were analyzed with Doppler echocardiography. The presence of anterograde flow at the end of diastole in the pulmonary artery defined restrictive right ventricular physiology. Surgical, radiological, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic variables were analized in the group I. RESULTS: The velocity of the A wave and the E/A ratio for the tricuspid valve showed significant differences between the groups. Cases with E/A < 1.30 predominated in inspiration (group I - 19/30, and group II - 5/30). The duration of the QRS complex on the electrocardiogram was significantly increased in patients with E/A <1.30. Nineteen (63.3%) patients had restrictive right ventricular physiology, which had a longer postoperative period, longer duration of the QRS complex, and a lower E/A ratio in inspiration. The surgical and radiological variables showed no statistical difference. CONCLUSION: Restrictive right ventricular physiology was detected on the intermediate follow-up of most patients undergoing repair of tetralogy of Fallot. The postoperative period and QRS duration were increased in patients with impairment in diastolic function.

Risk factors for acute myocardial infarction during the postoperative period of myocardial revascularization

OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors for acute myocardial infarction during the postoperative period after myocardial revascularization. METHODS: This was a case-control study paired for sex, age, number, type of graft used, coronary endarterectomy, type of myocardial protection, and use of extracorporeal circulation. We assessed 178 patients (89 patients in each group) undergoing myocardial revascularization, and the following variables were considered: dyslipidemia, systemic hypertension, smoking, diabetes mellitus, previous myocardial revascularization surgery, previous coronary angioplasty, and acute myocardial infarction. RESULTS: Baseline clinical characteristics did not differ in the groups, except for previous myocardial revascularization surgery, prevalent in the case group (34 patients vs. 12 patients; p = 0.0002). This was the only independent predictor of risk for acute myocardial infarction in the postoperative period, based on a multivariate logistic regression analysis (p=0.0001). Mortality and the time of hospital stay of the case group were significantly higher (19.1% vs. 1.1%; p<0.001 and 15.7 days vs. 10.6 days; p<0.05 respectively) than those of the control. CONCLUSION: Only previous myocardial revascularization was an independent predictor of acute myocardial infarction in the postoperative period, based on multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Sistemática filogenética y biología reproductiva con énfasis en solanum y capsicum (solanaceae). Systematics, phylogeny and reproductive biology with emphasis in solanum and capsicum (solanaceae).

Muchas respuestas a preguntas básicas sobre relaciones evolutivas, ubicación sistemática y evolución de caracteres morfológicos y ecológicos pueden ser obtenidas a través de las reconstrucciones filogenéticas. Sobre este contexto se pretende encarar en este proyecto estudios de filogenia molecular, revisiones sistemáticas, biología reproductiva y citogenética en Solanáceas americanas. Se intentará resolver la delimitación específica de Solanum sect. Solanum y Geminata, y Capsicum, y establecer relaciones filogenéticas en estos grupos. Se harán revisiones analizándose caracteres vegetativos y reproductivos críticos para evaluar su variabilidad y definir su valor taxonómico; para los estudios moleculares se utilizarán los marcadores ndhF, trnT-L, trnL-F y waxy. En base a los resultados se propondrán agrupamientos y relaciones de parentesco. Además, se hará un estudio cariosistemático para caracterizar y circunscribir especies en Solanum y miembros de la tribu Physaleae, y hasta variedades y/o cultivares en Capsicum, mediante técnicas clásicas y de bandeos de fluorescencia y AgNOR e hibridación in situ fluorescente (FISH). A nivel reproductivo, se estudiará la ecofisiología en las estructuras masculinas y su incidencia en la fructificación en Capscium baccatum. El desarrollo de esta temática comprende experiencias in vivo (a campo y en laboratorio) así como estudios histológicos y químicos.Se espera avanzar en la resolución de algunos problemas: 1) la complicada delimitación de especies de los taxones en estudio; 2) las relaciones filogenéticas en algunos de ellos; 3) la falta de conocimiento de la organización genómica; 4) el origen de las especies cultivadas de Capsicum. En cuanto a la biología reproductiva, para C. baccatum se pretende avanzar en el conocimiento de variables de relevancia en la reproducción, en especial los efectos del ambiente.