Leaf Morphological Plasticity of Tree Species from Two Developmental Stages in Araucaria Forest

This study compared the morphological and anatomical variations of the leaves of four shade-tolerant tree species Allophylus edulis (St.-Hil.) Radlk (Sapindaceae), Casearia sylvestris Sw. (Salicaceae), Cupania vernalis Cambess. (Sapindaceae) and Luehea divaricata Mart. (Malvaceae) from a fragment of Araucaria forest in two developmental stages. Morphological and anatomical traits, such as leaf and tissue thickness, leaf area, leaf dry mass, specific leaf area, leaf density and stomata density were measured from 30 leaves of each developmental stage. The phenotypic plasticity index was also calculated for each quantitative trait. The results showed that the four species presented higher mean values ​​for specific leaf area and spongy/palisade parenchyma ratio at young stage, and higher mean values ​​for stomata density, total and palisade parenchyma thickness in the adult stage. The plasticity index demonstrated that L. divricata presented highest plasticity for both the morphological and anatomical traits while A. edulis displayed the lowest plasticity index. The results of this study indicated that the leaves of these species exhibited distinct morphological traits at each stage of development to cope with acting environmental factors.

Metodologia de design mediada por protótipos

Pós-graduação em Design - FAAC

Avaliação de desempenho organizacional: um estudo aplicado em hospitais filantrópicos

An evaluation of organizational performance requires studies that encompass the specificities of the object under analysis, which is valid for health organizations. However, this type of organization has little support from Administration techniques and knowledge, thus generating deficiencies in management and control. As a result, the objective of this article is to develop a model for evaluating the specific performance of philanthropic hospitals and to compare the efficiency of those organizations. A theoretical model was createdand subsequently validated by specialists. A data envelopment analysis was conducted by means ofusing the data from 70 hospitals, collected in afield research. The conclusion is that there is no great availability of managerial information in Brazilian hospitals, and elements were pointed out for increasing sample efficiency.

Increased salivary immunoglobulin A and reduced alpha-amylase activity in whole saliva from spastic cerebral palsy individuals

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

Identification of pathogens and virulence profile of Rhodococcus equi and Escherichia coli strains obtained from sand of parks

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

Direct Spectrometry: A New Alternative for Measuring the Fluorescence of Composite Resins and Dental Tissues

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

Methodological Difficulties of Conducting Agroecological Studies from a Statistical Perspective

Statistical methods for analyzing agroecological data might not be able to help agroecologists to solve all of the current problems concerning crop and animal husbandry, but such methods could well help them assess, tackle, and resolve several agroecological issues in a more reliable and accurate manner. Therefore, our goal in this article is to discuss the importance of statistical tools for alternative agronomic approaches, because alternative approaches, such as organic farming, should not only be promoted by encouraging farmers to deploy agroecological techniques, but also by providing agroecologists with robust analyses based on rigorous statistical procedures.

Light-emitting diode effects on combined decellularization of tracheae. A novel approach to obtain biological scaffolds

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

O contexto de indexação para catalogação de livros usando uma abordagem sociognitiva

We evaluated study of the indexing process in the cataloging at university libraries, using a socio-cognitive approach to analyze procedures, difficulties and perceptions of librarians, users, and managers. The methodology consisted of the Individual and Group Verbal Protocols applied in university libraries. The results were the absence of procedures for book subject analysis and representation, incompatibility of indexing language, and problems of subject retrieval from the catalog. We have concluded that is tendency of catalogs to act as databases. Therefore, the cataloguer should present a posture of commitment similar to that of an indexer who works in the production of these bases.

Sr2CeO4: Electronic and structural properties

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

Memória entre mito e história: o narrar e o narrar-se em Milton Hatoum

Pós-graduação em Letras - IBILCE

La chute de la France et son impact sur le milieu intellectuel brésilien

This paper proposes a new reading of how the defeat of France and its occupation by Nazi forces were analyzed by the collaborators of the Revista do Brasil (RJ, 1938-1943). This cultural and literary magazine was one of the most important in Brazil and brought together a significant part of the Brazilian intelligentsia of the time.

Descriptive study of onychomycosis in a hospital in São Paulo

Onychomychosis, a nail fungus infection is the most frequent nail ailment, constituting about half of all nail disorders. It can be caused by dermatophytes, non-dermatophytes, yeasts and Prothoteca spp. Methods include 5407 samples of patients with suspected onychomycosis, studied from January 2002 to December 2006, by direct mycological examination and fungi culture. The diagnosis of onychomycosis was confirmed in samples from 3822 direct mycological and/or culture positive. The diagnosis was established by culture for fungi. Among the 1.428 identified agents, the dermatophytes were responsible for 68.6% (N = 980) of cases, followed by yeasts with 27.6% (N = 394), non-dermatophytes fungi with 2.2% (N = 31), Prothoteca spp with 0.1% (N = 2), and associations with 1.5% (N = 22). Females were more affected, with 66% (N = 2527) of cases, and the most affected age group ranged from 31 to 60 years of age (median 47 years). Fungal microbiota is often changed in the world, both quantitatively and qualitatively, and is affected by several environmental factors. Thus, the periodic review of the composition of this microbiota is important to evaluate the epidemiology and thus proportion a better therapeutic response.

Estimativa da divergência entre ecótipos de braquiária baseada em descritores quantitativos e qualitativos

This study aimed to estimate the genetic divergence between Urochloa brizantha ecotypes based on quantitative, qualitative descriptors and their joint analysis to select the promising to release as cultivars of this species. Eight ecotypes (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B8) and cultivar 'Marandu' of U. brizantha were implanted into pickets with 1000m2 each, with two repetitions. Five quantitative descriptors were evaluated [leaf area (ALF), length and width of leaf blades (CLF and LLF, respectively), dry mass (MS), mass of dry matter (MMS) and proportion of leaf blade in MS (PLF)] in two forage samples, being a representative of rainfall, in February 2000, and another in the dry period, in August 2000. It was measured the qualitative descriptors: shear strength (RC), volume of accumulated gas in fast and slow fraction (A and B, respectively), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF ), cellulose (CEL), lignin in sulfuric acid (LIG), silica (SIL) and in vitro digestibility of organic matter (IVOMD). There was considerable genetic divergence in U. brizantha ecotypes, especially regarding to quantitative descriptors. Based on the groupings of quantitative, qualitative descriptors and their joint analysis, the grouping containing of B1, B3 and B5 with 'Marandu' can result in promising U. brizantha ecotypes

Caracterização das proteínas caveolinas -1 e -2 na placenta de conceptos bovinos clonados transgênicos

The transgenic application of green fluorescent protein (GFP) as fetal cell marker on cattle cloned placenta could provide an exclusive model for studying the morphologic and immunologic maternal-fetal interactions, providing information about its mapping, distinguishing the fetal from maternal cells. This model will have direct application, mainly because these animals present problems during its development. With this model's support, we intend to verify the substances transport between mother and fetus during endocytosis, through the immunolocalization of protein named caveolae. For these, we used 06 cloned bovine and 30 cattle samples of artificial insemination (AI) with 90 days of pregnancy, which had been their development interrupted by humanitarian slaughter of the recipient and recovery of the pregnant uterus. We collected the placentome and the chorion. A part of the samples was cut and fixed, by immersion, on a solution containing 4% of parafomaldehyde or 10% of formaldehyde on a sodium phosphate buffer (PBS), at 0,1 M pH 7.4, Zamboni solution (4% of paraformaldehyde, 15% of picric acid, on sodium phosphate buffer 0,1 M pH 7.4), metacarn (60% of metanol, 30% of chloroform, and 10% glacial acetic acid), for morphologic and immunohistochemistry verification for caveolinas proteins -1 and -2 (CAV -1 and CAV-2). The caveolins -1 were found in fetal and maternal villi, but its strongest staining was observed in the endometrial stroma. The caveolins -2 had positive staining in trophoblast and chorioallantoic membrane, and specifically in giant trophoblastic binucleated cell. Therefore the results were compared between cloned cattle and from AI or natural mating, for assisting on detection of the reason of many placental alterations, embryonic losses, spontaneous abortion, post-natal mortality and large offspring syndrome on laboratory-manipulated animals. The result suggests that the proteins caveolins -1 and -2 (CAV-1 and CAV-2) are part of the caveolae composition and important structures related to the molecule transfer to the fetus, nourish it through endocytosis and pinocytosis.