CYTOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF THE PAMPAS DEER, OZOTOCEROS-BEZOARTICUS (MAMMALIA, CERVIDAE)

The chromosome constitution of five males and three females of the Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) coming mainly from the region of Corumba-MS, was studied. The diploid number of the species was reconfirmed as 68 chromosomes with Fundamental Number (FN) = 74. The X chromosome was the largest and the Y the smallest in the genome. Constitutive heterochromatin demonstrated by C banding was present in the centromeric region of all chromosomes, except in pair number two, which had none, and in chromosome X which had a stained region in the telomere on the long arm, Chromosomes pairs 3 and 4 bore Ag-NORs. The banding patterns differed from those of previous reports for this species. This may be due to subspecific differences.

Fatores genéticos e de Meio na idade ao primeiro parto de caprinos leiteiros

Data on age at first kidding (IPP) were collected on seven farms in the Brazilian Southeastern region which explored breds. Least squares (LS) were used to evaluate the effects of environmental factors and to estimate variance components, and the derivative-free restricted maximum likelihood (DFREML) method was used to estimate the variance components of IPP and to genetically evaluate the goats used in the southest region of Brazil. The LS mean and standard error of IPP were 607.18 +/- 17.09 days. The interaction of year x kidding season had a significantly influenced IPP, indicating that management conditions varied among the seasons within each specific year, with a direct influence on body weight which is the main criterion adopted by farmers to decide when the animal is ready to breed. The effect of farm-breed combination influenced the IPP. The compararison among levels of farm-breed were done by cluster analysis. The results indicated that the individual goat management within each farm had a greater influence than breed, since goats of different breeds showed high and similar values on those farms having a high mean IPP. Heritability estimates obtained by LS using intraclass correlations among paternal half-sibs and those obtained by REML were 0.220 and 0.369, respectively.

Assessment of pharmacotherapeutic safety of medical prescriptions for elderly residents in a long-term care facility

The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of elderly using potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) and with occurrence of potentially hazardous drug interactions (PHDI), to identify the risk factors for the prescription of PIM and to evaluate the impact of pharmaceutical intervention (PI) for the prescription of safer therapeutic alternatives. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was performed in a long-term care facility in São Paulo State, between December/2010 and January/2011. The medical records of the patients >= 60 years old who took any drugs were consulted to assess the pharmacotherapeutic safety of the medical prescriptions, in order to identify PIM and PHDI, according to the Beers (2003) and World Health Organization criteria, respectively. PI consisted of a guidance letter to the physician responsible for the institution, with the suggestions of safer equivalent therapeutics. Approximately 88% of the elderly took at least one drug, and for 30% of them the PIM had been prescribed. Most of the PIM identified (53.4%) act on the central nervous system. Among the 13 different DI detected, 6 are considered PHDI. Polypharmacy was detected as a risk factor for PIM prescription. After the PI there was no change in medical prescriptions of patients who had been prescribed PIM or PHDI. The data suggests that PI performed by letter, as the only interventional, method was ineffective. To contribute it a wide dissemination of PIM and PHDI among prescriber professionals is necessary for the selection of safer treatment for elderly. Additionally, a pharmacist should be part of the health care team in order to help promote rational use of medicines.

Performance of Cultivars for Production of Green Corn in Different Planting Dates in Passos Region, MG

The aim of this work was evaluating the performance of several cultivars of green corn for consumption 'in natura' in different planting dates. The first planting date was on May 26th, and the others, every 40 days. The hybrids (treatments) were: AG-1051, Agroeste 1567, BM-3061, Prezoto-32D10, PL-6880, BX-1382 and GNZ-2004. The following characteristics were evaluated: production, commercial ears weight without husk, commercial ears number, commercial ears diameter and length, male flowering, plant height and height of ear corn insertion. The cultivars AG1051, Agroeste 1567 and BM 3061 presented the best results compared to the others and they should be used in green corn production for ` in natura' consumption in Passos County, MG.

SnO2, ZnO and related polycrystalline compound semiconductors: An overview and review on the voltage-dependent resistance (non-ohmic) feature

The present review describes mainly the history of SnO2-based voltage-dependent resistors, discusses the main characteristics of these polycrystalline semiconductor systems and includes a direct comparison with traditional ZnO-based voltage-dependent resistor systems to establish the differences and similarities, giving details of the basic physical principles involved with the non-ohmic properties in both polycrystalline systems. As an overview, the text also undertakes the main difficulties involved in processing SnO2- and ZnO-based non-ohmic systems, with an evaluation of the contribution of the dopants to the electronic properties and to the final microstructure and consequently to the system's non-ohmic behavior. However, since there are at least two review texts regarding ZnO-based systems [Levinson, L. M., and Philipp, H. R. Ceramic Bulletin 1985;64:639; Clarke, D. R. Journal of American Ceramic Society 1999;82:485], the main focus of the present text is dedicated to the SnO2-based varistor systems, although the basic physical principles described in the text are universally useful in the context of dense polycrystalline devices. However, the readers must be careful of how the microstructure heterogeneity and grain-boundary chemistry are capable to interfere in the global electrical response for particular systems. New perspectives for applications, commercialization and degradation studies involving SnO2-based polycrystalline non-ohmic systems are also outlined, including recent technological developments. Finally, at the end of this review a brief section is particularly dedicated to the presentation and discussions about others emerging non-ohmic polycrystalline ceramic devices (particularly based on perovskite ceramics) which must be deeply studied in the years to come, specially because some of these systems present combined high dielectric and non-ohmic properties. From both scientific and technological point of view these perovskite systems are quite interesting. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Luminescence of Tb(3+) doped TeO(2)-ZnO-Na(2)O-PbO glasses containing silver nanoparticles

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Plant glandular trichomes mediate protective mutualism in a spider-plant system

1. Although several species of Peucetia (Oxyopidae) live strictly in association with plants bearing glandular trichomes worldwide, to date little is known about whether these associations are mutualistic.2. In this study we manipulated the presence of Peucetia flava on the glandular plant Rhynchanthera dichotoma in the rainy and post-rain season, to test the strength of its effects on leaf, bud, and flower damage and plant reproductive output. In addition, we ran independent field experiments to examine whether these sticky structures improve spider fidelity to plants.3. Peucetia suppressed some species of foliar phytophages, but not others. Although spiders have reduced levels of leaf herbivory, this phenomenon was temporally conditional, i.e. occurred only in the post-rain but not in the rainy season. Floral herbivory was also reduced in the presence of spiders, but these predators did not affect plant fitness components.4. Plants that had their glandular trichomes removed retained fewer insects than those bearing such structures. Spiders remained longer on plants with glandular trichomes than on plants in which these structures had been removed. Isotopic analyses showed that spiders that fed on live and dead labelled flies adhered to the glandular hairs in similar proportions.5. Spiders incurred no costs to the plants, but can potentially increase individual plant fitness by reducing damage to reproductive tissues. Temporal conditionality probably occurred because plant productivity exceeded herbivore consumption, thus dampening top-down effects. Specialisation to live on glandular plants may have favoured scavenging behaviour in Peucetia, possibly an adaptation to periods of food scarcity.

Electromyographic study of the trapezius (pars media) and rhomboideus major muscles in movements of the arm (part 2)

The participation of the trapezius (pars media) and rhomboideus major muscles were studied electromyographically in movements of lateral and medial rotation (free and against resistance) of the arm. In the majority of cases both muscles were inactive during the performance of the analysed movements. Cases in which only one or both muscles acted in free rotation occurred only at the second half or ending of the movement. Records of electrical potentials during against resistance rotation were due to tensional efforts at the shoulder level.

Larval aggregation and competition for food in experimental populations of Chrysomya putoria (Wied.) and Cochliomyia macellaria (F.) (Dipt., Calliphoridae)

In blowflies, larval aggregation in patches of food can be both intra- and interspecific, depending upon the degree to which competitors are clumped among the patches. In the present study, the implications of spatial aggregation for larval competition was investigated in experimental populations of the introduced blowfly Chrysomya putoria and the native Cochliomyia macellaria, using data from survival to adulthood in a range of single- and double-species larval cultures. The reduction in C. macellaria survival rate in the presence of C. putoria suggests that the former species is the inferior competitor. The results on survival to adulthood for both species in single- and double-species cultures can be explained in the light of the relationship between the level of intra- and interspecific aggregation and the efficiency of the larval feeding process. The possible implications of these results for the population biology of both species in natural environments are discussed.

Influence of the labial gland's semiochemicals on the feeding behavior of Coptotermes havilandi (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

In termites, food search is mediated by semiochemicals that are liberated by exocrine glands. In the present work we investigated the effect of the secretion of the labial glands of workers on the feeding behavior of Coptotermes havilandi. The secretion of the labial glands exhibited phagostimulant effect on the workers of this species. The soldiers showed a low activity in response to the labial gland extracts suggesting that this gland's secretion might inhibit the recruitment of soldiers. Behavioral evidence for the regulation of food consumption by workers was observed.

Dinâmica da ocupação do solo bacia do Rio Itiquira, Mato Grosso, Brasil

The study area corresponds to the basin of the Itiquira river high course, totalling 5,361km2. In this area a study of the environmental dynamics was made, applying SIG techniques and satellite images of the years 1966, 1985 and 1996. In 1966 the areas of natural vegetation (forests and groves) occupied 90.64% of the total of the area, which was diminished to 60.57% in 1985 and to only 36.66% in 1996. In this process, 289,382ha of a total of 485,928ha of natural vegetal covering had been lost. At the same time, the agrarian surfaces (agriculture and pasture) that occupied only 0.52% of the total area in 1966, increased to 34.89% in 1985 and to 59.04% in 1996. In 30 years there was an increase of 313,725ha of cultivated lands, corresponding to about 113 times the land occupation of the year of 1966 (2,798ha). The areas classified as urban show a gradual increase since 1966, from 39ha in 1996 to 58ha in 1985, and to 178ha in 1996. The other classes of soil use and occupation (reforestement areas, uncovered and affected by fire and humid areas) added were smaller than 4,27% in 1996.

Comparison of medetomidine-ketamine and dexmedetomidine-ketamine anesthesia in golden-headed lion tamarins

The cardiovascular, respiratory, and anesthetic effects of medetomidine-ketamine (20 μg/kg bodyweight [BW] and 10 mg/kg BW) (MK group) or dexmedetomidine-ketamine (10 μg/kg BW and 10 mg/kg BW) (DK group) were studied in golden-headed lion tamarins. Heart rate decreased after administration of both combinations; this reduction was statistically greater in the DK group than in the MK group after 15 and 45 minutes. Systolic arterial pressure decreased in a similar way in both groups, except at 15 minutes, when systolic arterial pressure was significantly lower in the DK group. Diastolic arterial pressure, mean arterial pressure, respiratory rate, and rectal temperature were progressively reduced in all groups. Sedation time was significantly shorter and anesthesia time was significantly longer in the DK group compared with MK group. Anesthetic quality and analgesia scores were significantly greater at 5 and 15 minutes in the DK group compared with the MK group. The administration of dexmedetomidine-ketamine is as safe and effective as the administration of medetomidine-ketamine in tamarins.

Red, green, and blue upconversion luminescence in ytterbium-sensitized praseodymium-doped lead-cadmium-germanate glass

Blue, green, red, and near-infrared upconversion luminescence in the wavelength region of 480 - 740 nm in Pr3+/Yb3+-codoped lead-cadmium-germanate glass under 980 nm diode laser excitation, is presented. Upconversion emission peaks around 485, 530, 610, 645, and 725 nm which were ascribed to the 3P0 - 3HJ (J=4, 5, and 6), and 3P0 - 3FJ (J=2, and 3,4), transitions, respectively, were observed. The population of the praseodymium upper 3P0 emitting level was accomplished through a combination of ground-state absorption of Yb3+ ions at the 2F7/2, energy-transfer Yb3+(2F 5/2) Pr3+(3H4), and excited-state absorption of Pr3+ ions provoking the 1G4 - 3P0 transition. The dependence of the upconversion luminescence upon the Yb3+-concentration and diode laser power, is also examined, in order to subsidize the proposed upconversion excitation mechanism.

Effects of latticeQCD EoS and continuous emission on some observables

Effects of lattice-QCD-inspired equations of state and continuous emission on some observables are discussed, by solving a 3D hydrodynamics. The particle multiplicity as well ν 2 are found to increase in the mid-rapidity. We also discuss the effects of the initial-condition fluctuations. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.