Non invasive methods for genetic analysis applied to ecological and behavioral studies in Latino-America

Documenting the presence and abundance of the neotropical mammals is the first step for understanding their population ecology, behavior and genetic dynamics in designing conservation plans. The combination of field research with molecular genetics techniques are new tools that provide valuable biological information avoiding the disturbance in the ecosystems, trying to minimize the human impact in the process to gather biological information. The objective of this paper is to review the available non invasive sampling techniques that have been used in Neotropical mammal studies to apply to determine the presence and abundance, population structure, sex ratio, taxonomic diagnostic using mitochondrial markers, and assessing genetic variability using nuclear markers. There are a wide range of non invasive sampling techniques used to determine the species identification that inhabit an area such as searching for tracks, feces, and carcasses. Other useful equipment is the camera traps that can generate an image bank that can be valuable to assess species presence and abundance by morphology. With recent advances in molecular biology, it is now possible to use the trace amounts of DNA in feces and amplify it to analyze the species diversity in an area, and the genetic variability at intraspecific level. This is particularly helpful in cases of sympatric and cryptic species in which morphology failed to diagnose the taxonomic status of several species of brocket deer of the genus Mazama.

Evaluation of four molecular typing Methodologies as tools for determining taxonomy relations and for identifying. species among Yersinia isolates

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

Analysis of the different forms of application and types of cutting fluid used in plunge cylindrical grinding using conventional and superabrasive CBN grinding wheels

The work reported here involved an investigation into the grinding process, one of the last finishing processes carried out on a production line. Although several input parameters are involved in this process, attention today focuses strongly on the form and amount of cutting fluid employed, since these substances may be seriously pernicious to human health and to the environment, and involve high purchasing and maintenance costs when utilized and stored incorrectly. The type and amount of cutting fluid used directly affect some of the main output variables of the grinding process which are analyzed here, such as tangential cutting force, specific grinding energy, acoustic emission, diametrical wear, roughness, residual stress and scanning electron microscopy. To analyze the influence of these variables, an optimised fluid application methodology was developed (involving rounded 5, 4 and 3 turn diameter nozzles and high fluid application pressures) to reduce the amount of fluid used in the grinding process and improve its performance in comparison with the conventional fluid application method (of diffuser nozzles and lower fluid application pressure). To this end, two types of cutting fluid (a 5% synthetic emulsion and neat oil) and two abrasive tools (an aluminium oxide and a superabrasive CBN grinding wheel) were used. The results revealed that, in every situation, the optimised application of cutting fluid significantly improved the efficiency of the process, particularly the combined use of neat oil and CBN grinding wheel. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of surface integrity for minimum quantity lubricant - MQL in grinding

The quality of machined components is currently of high interest, for the market demands mechanical components of increasingly high performance, not only from the standpoint of functionality but also from that of safety. Components produced through operations involving the removal of material display surface irregularities resulting not only from the action of the tool itself, but also from other factors that contribute to their superficial texture. This texture can exert a decisive influence on the application and performance of the machined component. This article analyzes the behavior of the minimum quantity lubricant (MQL) technique and compares it with the conventional cooling method. To this end, an optimized fluid application method was devised using a specially designed nozzle, by the authors, through which a minimum amount of oil is sprayed in a compressed air flow, thus meeting environmental requirements. This paper, therefore, explores and discusses the concept of the MQL in the grinding process. The performance of the MQL technique in the grinding process was evaluated based on an analysis of the surface integrity (roughness, residual stress, microstructure and microhardness). The results presented here are expected to lead to technological and ecological gains in the grinding process using MQL. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetic diversity analysis in the section Caulorrhizae (genus Arachis) using microsatellite markers

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

Structural studies of prephenate dehydratase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv by SAXS, ultracentrifugation, and computational analysis

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Time series analysis for minority game simulations of financial markets

The minority game (MG) model introduced recently provides promising insights into the understanding of the evolution of prices, indices and rates in the financial markets. In this paper we perform a time series analysis of the model employing tools from statistics, dynamical systems theory and stochastic processes. Using benchmark systems and a financial index for comparison, several conclusions are obtained about the generating mechanism for this kind of evolution. The motion is deterministic, driven by occasional random external perturbation. When the interval between two successive perturbations is sufficiently large, one can find low dimensional chaos in this regime. However, the full motion of the MG model is found to be similar to that of the first differences of the SP500 index: stochastic, nonlinear and (unit root) stationary. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial distribution of dengue in the city of Cruzeiro, São Paulo State, Brazil: use of geoprocessing tools

Este artigo tem por objetivo identificar padrões na distribuição espacial dos casos de dengue ocorridos no município de Cruzeiro/SP, no ano de 2006. Trata-se de um estudo ecológico e exploratório que utiliza as ferramentas de análise espacial na elaboração de mapas temáticos, com dados obtidos do SinanNet. Foi feita uma análise por área, tomando-se como unidade o setor censitário do IBGE; a análise considerou quatro meses do ano de 2006 que mostra a ocorrência da doença no município. Os mapas temáticos foram construídos pelo programa computacional TerraView 3.3.1; assim como os valores dos índices de Moran Global (I M) mês a mês e o estimador de Kernel. Foram georreferenciados 691 casos de dengue (taxa de 864,2 casos/100.000 habitantes); os Índices de Moran e p-valores obtidos foram I M = 0,080 (março) p = 0,11; I M = 0,285 (abril) p = 0,01; I M = 0,201 (maio) p = 0,01 e I M = 0,002 (junho) p = 0,57. Os primeiros casos foram identificados na região nordeste e central e os últimos casos, na região norte, nordeste e central. Foi possível identificar os setores censitários onde a epidemia teve início e como ocorreu têmporo-espacialmente no município.

EthoSeq: A tool for phylogenetic analysis and data mining in behavioral sequences

This article introduces the software program called EthoSeq, which is designed to extract probabilistic behavioral sequences (tree-generated sequences, or TGSs) from observational data and to prepare a TGS-species matrix for phylogenetic analysis. The program uses Graph Theory algorithms to automatically detect behavioral patterns within the observational sessions. It includes filtering tools to adjust the search procedure to user-specified statistical needs. Preliminary analyses of data sets, such as grooming sequences in birds and foraging tactics in spiders, uncover a large number of TGSs which together yield single phylogenetic trees. An example of the use of the program is our analysis of felid grooming sequences, in which we have obtained 1,386 felid grooming TGSs for seven species, resulting in a single phylogeny. These results show that behavior is definitely useful in phylogenetic analysis. EthoSeq simplifies and automates such analyses, uncovers much of the hidden patterns of long behavioral sequences, and prepares this data for further analysis with standard phylogenetic programs. We hope it will encourage many empirical studies on the evolution of behavior.

Proteome analysis of snake venom toxins: pharmacological insights

Snake venoms are an extremely rich source of pharmacologically active proteins with a considerable clinical and medical potential. To date, this potential has not been fully explored, mainly because of our incomplete knowledge of the venom proteome and the pharmacological properties of its components, in particular those devoid of enzymatic activity. This review summarizes the latest achievements in the determination of snake venom proteome, based primarily on the development of new strategies and techniques. Detailed knowledge of the venom toxin composition and biological properties of the protein constituents should provide the scaffold for the design of new more effective drugs for the treatment of the hemostatic system and heart disorders, inflammation, cancer and consequences of snake bites, as well as new tools for clinical diagnostic and assays of hemostatic parameters.

Functional and structural analysis of two fibrinogen-activating enzymes isolated from the venoms of Crotalus durissus terrificus and Crotalus durissus collilineatus

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

Purification, Characterization, and Preliminary X-Ray Diffraction Analysis of a Lactose-Specific Lectin from Cymbosema roseum Seeds

The unique carbohydrate-binding property of lectins makes them invaluable tools in biomedical research. Here, we report the purification, partial primary structure, carbohydrate affinity characterization, crystallization, and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a lactose-specific lectin from Cymbosema roseum seeds (CRLII). Isolation and purification of CRLII was performed by a single step using a Sepharose-4B-lactose affinity chromatography column. The carbohydrate affinity characterization was carried using assays for hemagglutination activity and inhibition. CRLII showed hemagglutinating activity toward rabbit erythrocytes. O-glycoproteins from mucine mucopolysaccharides showed the most potent inhibition capacity at a minimum concentration of 1.2 A mu g mL(-1). Protein sequencing by mass spectrometry was obtained by the digestion of CRLII with trypsin, Glu-C, and AspN. CRLII partial protein sequence exhibits 46% similarity with the ConA-like alpha chain precursor. Suitable protein crystals were obtained with the hanging-drop vapor-diffusion method with 8% ethylene glycol, 0.1 M Tris-HCl pH 8.5, and 11% PEG 8,000. The monoclinic crystals belong to space group P2(1) with unit cell parameters a = 49.4, b = 89.6, and c = 100.8 A....

Molecular tools and analytical approaches for the characterization of farm animal genetic diversity

Genetic studies of livestock populations focus on questions of domestication, within- and among-breed diversity, breed history and adaptive variation. In this review, we describe the use of different molecular markers and methods for data analysis used to address these questions. There is a clear trend towards the use of single nucleotide polymorphisms and whole-genome sequence information, the application of Bayesian or Approximate Bayesian analysis and the use of adaptive next to neutral diversity to support decisions on conservation.

Application of dissociation curve analysis to radiation hybrid panel marker scoring: generation of a map of river buffalo (B-bubalis) chromosome 20

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

An easy-learning and easy-teaching tool for indoor thermal analysis - ArcTech

ArcTech is a software being developed, applied and improved with the aim of becoming an efficient sensitization tool to support the teaching-learning process of Architecture courses. The application deals initially with the thermal comfort of buildings. The output generated by the software shows if a student is able to produce a pleasant environment, in terms of thermal sensation along a 24-hours period. Although one can find the very same characteristics in fully-developed commercial software, the reason to create ArcTech is related to the flexibility of the system to be adapted by the instructor and also to the need of simple tools for the evaluation of specific topics along the courses. The first part of ArcTech is dedicated to data management and that was developed using the visual programming language Delphi 7 and Firebird as the database management system. The second part contains the parameters that can be changed by the system administrator and those related to project visualization. The interface of the system, in which the student will learn how to implement and to evaluate the project alternatives, was built using Macromedia Flash. The software was applied to undergraduate students revealing its easy-learning and easy-teaching interface.