Emerging infectious diseases in cetaceans worldwide and the possible role of environmental stressors

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

Crystal structure of a dimeric Ser49 PLA(2)-like myotoxic component of the Vipera ammodytes meridionalis venomics reveals determinants of myotoxicity and membrane damaging activity

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Taxonomic diversity, niche width and similarity in the use of plant resources by bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) in a cerrado area

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

Global analysis of the post-SNO solar neutrino data for standard and nonstandard oscillation mechanisms

What can we learn from solar neutrino observations? Is there any solution to the solar neutrino anomaly which is favored by the present experimental panorama? After SNO results, is it possible to affirm that neutrinos have mass? In order to answer such questions we analyze the current available data from the solar neutrino experiments, including the recent SNO result, in view of many acceptable solutions to the solar neutrino problem based on different conversion mechanisms, for the first time using the same statistical procedure. This allows us to do a direct comparison of the goodness of the fit among different solutions, from which we can discuss and conclude on the current status of each proposed dynamical mechanism. These solutions are based on different assumptions: (a) neutrino mass and mixing, (b) a nonvanishing neutrino magnetic moment, (c) the existence of nonstandard flavor-changing and nonuniversal neutrino interactions, and (d) a tiny violation of the equivalence principle. We investigate the quality of the fit provided by each one of these solutions not only to the total rate measured by all the solar neutrino experiments but also to the recoil electron energy spectrum measured at different zenith angles by the Super-Kamiokande Collaboration. We conclude that several nonstandard neutrino flavor conversion mechanisms provide a very good fit to the experimental data which is comparable with (or even slightly better than) the most famous solution to the solar neutrino anomaly based on the neutrino oscillation induced by mass.

Three-dimensional solitons in cross-combined linear and nonlinear optical lattices

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

Mixing, demixing, and structure formation in a binary dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate

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

Optimization of temperature, sugar concentration, and inoculum size to maximize ethanol production without significant decrease in yeast cell viability

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

General aspects of drug interactions with systemic antifungals in a retrospective study sample

Estudo retrospectivo avaliando alterações laboratoriais hepáticas e potenciais interações medicamentosas em pacientes tratados para onicomicose. Foram avaliados 202 pacientes, sendo 82% do sexo feminino. em 273 exames de enzimas hepáticas, houve alterações em apenas 6%. Potenciais interações medicamentosas foram identificadas em 28% dos pacientes para imidazólicos e 14% para terbinafina. O risco de interações potenciais aumentou com a idade do paciente e o uso de múltiplas medicações.

Size and sex compositions, length-weight relationship, and occurrence of the Brazilian sharpnose shark, Rhizoprionodon lalandii, caught by artisanal fishery from southeastern Brazil

Although the Brazilian sharpnose shark, Rhizoprionodon lalandii (Muller and Henle, 1839), is an inshore species widely distributed in the Western Atlantic from Panama to Uruguay, there is little available information on its biology. During a long-term study of small coastal sharks caught by gill net fisheries in southeastern Brazil (PROJETO CACAO), 3643 specimens of R. lalandii were examined, comprising 61.3% of the total sharks,and including all sizes classes, from 30 to 78,5 cm TL., and weights from 100 to 2950 g. The length-weight relationships were not significantly different between sexes, Overall sex ratio favoured the males slightly at the rate of 1.3: 1. Sex ratios, however, did differ significantly between season and size classes. This species occurred in this area all year long. Three seasonal size-class Occurrence patterns were recognized: (1) between October and March, the juveniles were more frequents (2) from April to July, adults were most common, and (3) from August to September, neonates were most numerically abundant. Such patterns we to associated with reproductive tactics that may reduce intra-specific and inter-specific competition with hammerhead shark neonates (Sphyrna lewini). probably result in reduced natural mortality of the offspring during their first few months. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NUMERICAL DETERMINATION OF THE ORDER OF PHASE-TRANSITIONS IN ISING SYSTEMS WITH MULTISPIN INTERACTIONS

The method of the fourth-order cumulant of Challa, Landau, and Binder is used together with the Monte Carlo histogram technique of Ferrenberg and Swendsen to study the order of the phase transitions of two-dimensional Ising systems with multispin interactions in the horizontal direction and two-body interactions in the vertical direction.

Succession and management of tropical dry forests in the Americas: Review and new perspectives

Understanding tropical forest succession is critical for the development of tropical forest conservation strategies worldwide, given that tropical secondary forests can be considered the forests of the future. Tropical dry forests (TDF) are among the most threatened tropical ecosystems, there are more secondary forests and forest restoration efforts that require a better understanding of successional processes. The main goal of this synthesis for this special issue on the ecology and management of tropical dry forests in the Americas is to present a summarized review of the current knowledge of the ecology and management implications associated to TDF succession. We explore specific issues associated to tropical dry forest succession with emphasis on the use of chronosequences, plant diversity and composition, plant phenology and remote sensing, pollination, and animal-plant interactions; all under the integrating umbrella of ecosystem succession. We also emphasize the need to conduct socio-ecological research to understand changes in land-use history and its effects on succession and forest regeneration of TDF. We close this paper with some thoughts and ideas associated with the strong need for an integrating dimension not considered until today: the role of cyberinfrastructure and eco-informatics as a tool to support sound conservation, management and understanding of TDF in the Americas. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Are you experienced? Predator type and predator experience trade-offs in relation to tadpole mortality rates

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

Lightning characteristics observed by a VLF/LF lightning detection network (LINET) in Brazil, Australia, Africa and Germany

This paper describes lightning characteristics as obtained in four sets of lightning measurements during recent field campaigns in different parts of the world from mid-latitudes to the tropics by the novel VLF/LF (very low frequency/low frequency) lightning detection network (LINET). The paper gives a general overview on the approach, and a synopsis of the statistical results for the observation periods as a whole and for one special day in each region. The focus is on the characteristics of lightning which can specifically be observed by this system like intra-cloud and cloud-to-ground stroke statistics, vertical distributions of intra-cloud strokes or peak current distributions. Some conclusions regarding lightning produced NOx are also presented as this was one of the aims of the tropical field campaigns TROCCINOX (Tropical Convection, Cirrus and Nitrogen Oxides Experiment) and TroCCiBras (Tropical Convection and Cirrus Experiment Brazil) in Brazil during January/February 2005, SCOUT-O3 (Stratospheric-Climate Links with Emphasis on the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere) and TWP-ICE (Tropical Warm Pool-International Cloud Experiment) during November/December 2005 and January/February 2006, respectively, in the Darwin area in N-Australia, and of AMMA (African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses) in W-Africa during June-November 2006.

Synthesis and solid-state structural characterization of bis (thiocyanatemercury)tetracarbonyliron

The bis (thiocyanatemercury)tetracarbonyliron, [Fe(CO)4(HgSCN)2], was prepared from [Fe(CO) 5] and Hg(SCN)2, and studied by IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallizes in the tetragonal space group I4,1/a. The unit cell, with dimensions of a = 13.778(3), c = 13.234(3) Å, V = 2512.3(9) Å3, contains four molecules. The iron atom is octahedrally coordinated by four carbonyl groups and two mercury atoms in cis positions. The coordination of the mercury atoms is distorted square-planar, since, besides mercury-iron and mercury-sulphur bonds, there are also mercury-mercury and mercury-nitrogen interactions. The FeHg distance is 2.506(5)Å and the HgFeHg angle is 78.0(1)°. © 1987.

Mercury(II) and thallium(III) organometallic derivatives of 2-Mercaptobenzoxazole

Some derivatives of 2-mercaptobenzoxazole (HL) of the type MRnL [M = Hg or Tl, R = Me or Ph and n = 1 (Hg) or 2 (Tl)] have been prepared. The structure of HgMeL has been determined by an X-ray diffraction study; in the crystal there are two independent planar molecules in each asymmetric unit, with the ligand in its thiolic form and an almost linear CHgS linkage. Weak intramolecular and intermolecular secondary interactions complement the mercurysulphur bond. The spectroscopic (IR, Raman, mass, 13C-NMR), conductimetric, and dipolar properties of this and the other compounds are discussed. © 1991.