Modelling post-release survival of reintroduced Red-billed Curassows Crax blumenbachii

Modelling post-release survival probabilities of reintroduced birds can help inform 'soft-release' strategies for avian reintroductions that use captive-bred individuals. We used post-release radiotelemetry data to estimate the survival probabilities of reintroduced captive-bred Red-billed Curassow Crax blumenbachii, a globally threatened Cracid endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. Between August 2006 and December 2008, 46 radiotagged Curassows from the Crax Brazil breeding centre were reintroduced to the Guapiacu Ecological Reserve (REGUA), Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, in seven different cohorts. Reintroduced birds were most vulnerable during the first 12 months post-release from natural predation, domestic dogs and hunting. Annual post-release survival probability was high (75%) compared with published estimates for other Galliform species. However, when considering survival in all birds transported to REGUA (some birds died before release or were retained in captivity) and not only post-release survival, phi in this study was closer to estimates for other species (60%). The duration of the pre-release acclimatization period within the soft-release enclosure and the size of the released cohorts both positively influenced post-release survival of reintroduced Curassows. Our results are relevant to future Cracid reintroductions and highlight the importance of utilizing post-release monitoring data for evidence-based improvements to soft-release strategies that can significantly enhance the post-release survival of captive-bred birds.

High Prevalence of bla(CTX-M) Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase Genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates from a Tertiary Care Hospital: First report of bla(SHV-12), bla(SHV-31), bla(SHV-38), and bla(CTX-M-15) in Brazil

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

Global dynamics of stationary solutions of the extended Fisher-Kolmogorov equation

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

On the extended applications of Homogenous Balance Method

In this paper, we study the travelling wave reductions for certain (2 + 1)- and (3 + 1)-dimensional physically important nonlinear evolutionary equations by using the recently proposed Homogenous Balance Method (HBM). Through this analysis we explore certain new solutions for the equations we have studied. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Extended Cahill-Glauber formalism for finite-dimensional spaces. II. Applications in quantum tomography and quantum teleportation

By means of a mod(N)-invariant operator basis, s-parametrized phase-space functions associated with bounded operators in a finite-dimensional Hilbert space are introduced in the context of the extended Cahill-Glauber formalism, and their properties are discussed in details. The discrete Glauber-Sudarshan, Wigner, and Husimi functions emerge from this formalism as specific cases of s-parametrized phase-space functions where, in particular, a hierarchical process among them is promptly established. In addition, a phase-space description of quantum tomography and quantum teleportation is presented and new results are obtained.

Extended Cahill-Glauber formalism for finite-dimensional spaces: I. Fundamentals

The Cahill-Glauber approach for quantum mechanics on phase space is extended to the finite-dimensional case through the use of discrete coherent states. All properties and features of the continuous formalism are appropriately generalized. The continuum results are promptly recovered as a limiting case. The Jacobi theta functions are shown to have a prominent role in the context.

Competitive release and area effects

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Extended 2D generalized dilaton gravity theories

We show that an anomaly-free description of matter in (1+1) dimensions requires a deformation of the 2D relativity principle, which introduces a non-trivial centre in the 2D Poincare algebra. Then we work out the reduced phase space of the anomaly-free 2D relativistic particle, in order to show that it lives in a noncommutative 2D Minkowski space. Moreover, we build a Gaussian wave packet to show that a Planck length is well defined in two dimensions. In order to provide a gravitational interpretation for this noncommutativity, we propose to extend the usual 2D generalized dilaton gravity models by a specific Maxwell component, which guages the extra symmetry associated with the centre of the 2D Poincare algebra. In addition, we show that this extension is a high energy correction to the unextended dilaton theories that can affect the topology of spacetime. Further, we couple a test particle to the general extended dilaton models with the purpose of showing that they predict a noncommutativity in curved spacetime, which is locally described by a Moyal star product in the low energy limit. We also conjecture a probable generalization of this result, which provides strong evidence that the noncommutativity is described by a certain star product which is not of the Moyal type at high energies. Finally, we prove that the extended dilaton theories can be formulated as Poisson-Sigma models based on a nonlinear deformation of the extended Poincare algebra.

Crossover between the extended and localized regimes in stochastic partially self-avoiding walks in one-dimensional disordered systems

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Supersymmetry of Affine Toda Models as Fermionic Symmetry Flows of the Extended mKdV Hierarchy

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

Relationship between structural features and in vitro release of doxorubicin from biocompatible anionic microemulsion

In this work structural features of anionic microemulsions, containing the pharmaceutical biocompatible components soya phosphatidylcholine (SPC), eumulgin HRE 40 (EU) and sodium oleate (SO) as surfactant, cholesterol (CHO) as oil phase and aqueous buffer were studied. Microemulsions were formulated with and without the antitumor drug doxorubicin (DOX). The various microstructures characterized in the pseudo-temary phase diagram were analyzed by polarized light microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) as well as by their ability to incorporate and release DOX. The experimental results demonstrated a correlation between the composition, the structural features and drug delivery. It was found that at higher cholesterol contents, the crystallization of CHO polymorph phases changed the mobility of DOX molecules. Droplets were formed with short-range spatial correlation from a microemulsion (ME) with a low surfactant:oil ratio. More ordered structures with lamellar arrangements formed by the increasing of the CHO proportions in the formulation may be due to CHO crystallization. The in vitro release of DOX showed that the presence of a high content of crystalline CHO prolongs the release of DOX from ME. The retention of DOX in the internal oil phase of the ME may modulate the drug release for a prolonged time. These results clearly demonstrate the potential of ME as a drug-delivery system. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural changes of biocompatible neutral microemulsions stabilized by mixed surfactant containing soya phosphatidylcholine and their relationship with doxorubicin release

Depending on the composition, the mixture of surfactant, oil and water, may form supramolecular aggregates with different structures which can significantly influence the drug release. In this work several microemulsion (ME) systems containing soya phosphatidylcholine (SPC) and eumulgin HRE40 (TM) (EU) as surfactant, cholesterol (O) as oil phase, and ultra-pure water as an aqueous phase were studied. MEs with and without the antitumoral drug doxorubicin (DOX) were prepared. The microstructures of the systems were characterized by photon correlation spectroscopy, rheological behavior, polarized light microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results reveal that the diameter of the oil droplets was dependent on the surfactant (S) amount added to formulations. The apparent viscosity was dependent on the O/S ratio. High O/S ratio leads to the crystallization of cholesterol polymorphs phases which restricts the mobility of the DOX molecules into the ME structure. Droplets with short-range spatial correlation were formed from the ME with the low O/S ratio. The increase of the cholesterol fraction in the O/S mixture leads to the formation of ordered structures with lamellar arrangements. These different structural organizations directly influenced the drug release profiles. The in vitro release assay showed that the increase of the O/S ratio in the formulations inhibited the constant rate of DOX release. Since the DOX release ratio was directly dependent on the ratio of O/S following an exponential decay profile, this feature can be used to control the DOX release from the ME formulations. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Release of potassium from rock powder by the yeast Torulaspora globosa

The alteration of minerals in rocks and the availability of elements for plant nutrition require long periods of time, and microorganisms are thought to induce the release of potassium and phosphate from rocks. In this context, this work evaluates the role of the yeast Torulaspora globosa, isolated from the sugar cane rhizosphere, in the solubilization of potassium from alkaline ultramafic rock powder. The experiments were performed in liquid medium, with or without agitation, at 30°C with the following treatments: culture medium + alkaline ultramafic; culture medium + yeast suspension; and culture medium + yeast suspension + alkaline ultramafic. The results showed that as much as 38% of the total potassium in the rock was released in the medium with the yeast during a 15-day period of incubation. Acid production may be the mechanism by which the yeast solubilizes potassium because the total acidity increased during the sampling period. Agitation (which increased oxygen availability) resulted in approximately 20% more biosolubilization of the alkaline ultramafic rock than with the static culture. These data indicate the potential for this yeast in biosolubilization processes and biofertilizer production.