Influence of carrion smell and rebaiting time on the efficiency of pitfall traps to dung beetle sampling

Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) are very useful insects, as they improve the chemo-physical properties of soil, clean pastures from dung pads, and help control symbovine flies associated with bovine cattle. Their importance makes it fundamental to sample and survey them adequately. The objectives of the present study were to determine the influence of decaying insects trapped in pitfalls on the attractiveness of Moura pig Sus scrofa L. (Suidae) and collared peccary Tayassu tajacu (L.) (Tayassuidae) dung used as baits to lure dung beetles, and to establish how long these baits remain attractive to dung beetles when used in these traps. Some dung beetle species seemed to be able to discriminate against foul smell from decaying insects within the first 24 h, hence decreasing trap efficiency. This was more evident in peccary dung-baited traps, which proved to be the least attractive bait. Attractiveness lasted only 24 h for peccary dung, after which it became unattractive, whereas the pig dung bait was highly attractive for 48 h, after which its attractiveness diminished but was not completely lost.

Fatores associados à doença pulmonar em idosos

OBJETIVO: Investigar a prevalência de doença pulmonar referida entre idosos segundo características sociodemográficas, econômicas, estilo de vida, mobilidade física e condições de saúde. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de um estudo transversal, de base populacional, do qual participaram 1.957 idosos (60 anos ou mais). As informações foram coletadas por meio de entrevistas. Os participantes foram selecionados a partir de amostragem probabilística, estratificada, por conglomerados e obtida em dois estágios em seis municípios do Estado de São Paulo, no período de 2001 a 2002. Foram utilizadas estatísticas descritivas, testes de associação pelo chi2, razões de prevalência e intervalos de confiança de 95%. A análise ajustada foi conduzida por meio de regressão de Poisson. RESULTADOS: Dos entrevistados, cerca de 7% referiram doença pulmonar. Não houve associação entre doença pulmonar referida e vacinação contra influenza. A partir da análise ajustada foi possível identificar os seguintes fatores independentemente associados à referência da doença: tabagismo (RP=2,03; IC 95%: 1,39-2,97); uso de medicamentos (RP=2,05; IC 95%: 1,11-3,79); auto-avaliação do estado de saúde atual como ruim ou muito ruim (RP=1,89; IC 95%:1,20-2,96); e depressão, ansiedade ou problemas emocionais (RP=1,86; IC 95%: 1,11-3,10). CONCLUSÕES: Os achados do presente estudo reforçam a importância das doenças respiratórias em idosos, particularmente em grupos mais vulneráveis, justificando medidas preventivas e assistenciais específicas.

Analytical procedure based on slurry sampling for determining selenium in organic vegetable samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

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

Confiabilidade de um formulário para diagnóstico da severidade da disfunção temporomandibular

CONTEXTUALIZAÇÃO: Disfunção temporomandibular (DTM) é um termo coletivo que engloba vários problemas clínicos envolvendo a musculatura da mastigação, as articulações temporomandibulares (ATM) e suas estruturas associadas, com alta prevalência nas populações. OBJETIVOS: Sabendo-se que estudos brasileiros vêm utilizando o instrumento proposto por da Fonseca et al. (1994) para diagnóstico da severidade desta disfunção, realizou-se este estudo com o objetivo de verificar e estimar a consistência interna e a reprodutibilidade do mesmo. MÉTODOS: O delineamento amostral adotado foi o probabilístico, e participaram 1230 indivíduos moradores da cidade de Ribeirão Preto (SP), maiores de 18 anos de idade. As entrevistas foram realizadas por um único entrevistador por meio de ligações telefônicas. Para estudo da consistência interna, calculou-se o Coeficiente de Kuder-Richardson (kr-20) e para estimar a reprodutibilidade, utilizou-se a estatística Kappa (κ). RESULTADOS: A consistência interna do formulário foi de 0,5594, apontando para uma validação abaixo do desejado. Observou-se maior contribuição das questões 1, 2, 3, 6 e 7 para o coeficiente kr-20 total e maior consistência do instrumento quando composto apenas pelas mesmas (0,7044). Observou-se reprodutibilidade Boa e Ótima para as questões. CONCLUSÕES: Frente ao exposto, sugere-se que o formulário proposto por da Fonseca et al. (1994) seja adaptado, ficando composto apenas pelas questões 1, 2, 3, 6 e 7 da versão inicial, colaborando, assim, para aumento da confiabilidade do instrumento. Deve-se ressaltar ainda a necessidade da realização de estudos de validade para assegurar adequadas características psicométricas à nova versão do instrumento.

Efeitos de dois procedimentos educacionais sobre os sintomas musculoesqueléticos em trabalhadores administrativos

Objective: To investigate the effect of applying two educational programs (one using a self-instructional approach and the other using a traditional approach similar to educational workshops), on the perceived frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in 94 office workers in a public company. The participants were divided into three groups through simple randomized sampling with no replacement, The first group (32 employees) underwent a traditional/workshop program, the second (28) used a self-instructional manual and the third (34) was a Control Group. The frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms was measured by means of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, at the beginning of the program and 30 days after its completion. The statistical analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, a nonparametric analysis of variance technique for a repeated measure model in three independent groups and the Goodman test. Results: From the data collected in pre and post-test comparisons, it was observed that the traditional/workshop educational program significantly reduced the frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms over the final seven days. For the self-instructional manual group and control group, no difference was observed in the frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms, Conclusions: It could be concluded that the interventions. particularly the traditional approach using educational workshops, had a positive effect on the individuals' actions. Despite the complexity of some of the preventive measures needed, there was a reduction in musculoskeletal symptoms of the participants during work.

Variabilidade espacial da densidade do solo sob manejo da irrigação

Este trabalho foi desenvolvido em um solo aluvial na Estação Experimental da Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA) Algodão, município de Souza, Estado da Paraíba, Brasil, com o objetivo de estudar a variabilidade espacial da densidade do solo. A área tem uma superfície cultivada de 17 ha e os testes de campo foram feitos em 40 pontos amostrais, locados na linha central longitudinal de cada parcela agrícola, eqüidistante de 50 m. Na determinação da densidade do solo, foi utilizado o método do anel volumétrico, em amostras com estrutura indeformada para as profundidades de 0-30, 30-60 e 60-90 cm. A variabilidade espacial foi determinada pela técnica de estatística clássica e da geoestatística. Na análise estatística clássica, a densidade do solo para as três profundidades apresentou baixos valores de desvio-padrão e coeficiente de variação, indicando pouca variação da densidade do solo com aumento da profundidade. A densidade do solo manifestou estrutura de dependência espacial, modelada por meio de semivariogramas, os quais permitiram a interpolação por Krigagem, apresentando estrutura esférica nas profundidades de 0-30 e 60-90 cm, com alcance de 46 m e estrutura exponencial com alcance de 255,10 m para a profundidade 30-60 cm.

Non-destructive genetic sampling in fish. An improved method for DNA extraction from fish fins and scales

DNA-based studies have been one of the major interests in conservation biology of endangered species and in population genetics. As species and population genetic assessment requires a source of biological material, the sampling strategy can be overcome by non-destructive procedures for DNA isolation. An improved method for obtaining DNA from fish fins and scales with the use of an extraction buffer containing urea and further DNA purification with phenol-chloroform is described. The methodology combines the benefits of a non-destructive DNA sampling and its high efficiency. In addition, comparisons with other methodologies for isolating DNA from fish demonstrated that the present procedure also becomes a very attractive alternative to obtain large amounts of high-quality DNA for use in different molecular analyses. The DNA samples, isolated from different fish species, have been successfully used on random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) experiments, as well as on amplification of specific ribosomal and mitochondrial DNA sequences. The present DNA extraction procedure represents an alternative for population approaches and genetic studies on rare or endangered taxa.

Phylogenetic relationships within the speciose family Characidae (Teleostei: Ostariophysi: Characiformes) based on multilocus analysis and extensive ingroup sampling

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

GFAAS Determination of Zinc in Fish Feed and Feces Using Slurry Sampling

This paper presents a simple, fast, and sensitive method to determine zinc in samples of feces and fish feed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry through the direct introduction of slurries of the samples into the spectrometer's graphite tube. The procedure is based on the injection of 10 mu L of an acidified aqueous solution containing 0.50% w/v of feces or feed and 0.50% v/v HNO(3) into graphite tube. The limits of detection and quantification calculated for 20 readings of the blank of the standard slurries (0.50% w/v of feces or feed devoid of zinc) were 0.04 and 0.13 mu g L(-1) for the standard feces slurries and 0.05 and 0.17 mu g L(-1) for the standard feed slurries. The proposed method was applied in studies of digestibility of zinc in different fish feeds, and their results proved compatible with that obtained from samples mineralized by acid digestion using microwave oven.

Analysis of Ant Communities Comparing Two Methods for Sampling Ants in an Urban Park in the City of São Paulo, Brazil

This study aimed to analyze the species composition and functional groups of the ant community and to assess the efficiency of two sampling methods, pitfall and leaf litter sampling, in an urban park. A total of 1,401 ants were collected, which belonged to six subfamilies and 36 species. The predominant species was Wasmannia auropunctata (present in 45.36% of the samples), while the functional group of opportunistic ants were the most frequent (present in 83.75% of the samples) and abundant (95.29% of the total collected specimens) functional group. The Jaccard Similarity Index showed a low similarity between the two sampling methods, as the difference of the number of individuals for each species between these two methods was not significant in only one case (Linepithema sp. 1, p = 0.4561). The fungus-growing and cryptic ants were more collected in leaflitter samples (p<0.0001; p = 0.0348 respectively). Although there was no significant difference (p = 0.6397) between the two sampling methods for the total individuals of opportunistic ants, more species of this group were collected in pitfall traps. This difference was not significant because of the high presence of W. auropunctata, an opportunistic ant, in samples of leaf litter. Due to the predominance of tramp ants in the studied area, this article illustrates the importance of green urban areas in ant control strategies, since these sites could be used as a source of new colonization for these ants. Furthermore, the combination of the two sampling methods seems to be complementary for obtaining a more complete picture of the ant community.

Occurrence and behavior of butyltins in intertidal and shallow subtidal surface sediments of an estuarine beach under different sampling conditions

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

Statistics and kinetics of single-molecule electron transfer dynamics in complex environments: A simulation model study

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

Simultaneous Determination of Cadmium and Lead in Medicinal Plants Using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry and Direct Slurry Sampling

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

Evaluation of solid sampling high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for direct determination of chromium in medicinal plants

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

Determination of lead in medicinal plants by high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using direct solid sampling

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