Brycon gouldingi (Teleostei, Characidae): aspects of the embryonic development in a new fish species with aquaculture potential

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

Reproductive and behavioral aspects of red-winged tinamous (Rhynchotus rufescens) in groups with different sex ratios

The aim of this research study was to evaluate the reproductive performance of tinamous submitted to five different male:female ratios. The study was carried out with 72 birds in a randomized experimental design with 4 replications. Tinamous were housed in cages, using the ratios of one (1:1), two (2:1), three (3:1) and four (4:1) females per male, and also one male was housed with three females individually (3R:1), in a rotational system. Reproductive records of the breeding season from September 2004 to March 2005 were used. The reproductive traits studied were: number of eggs laid, fertility, and percentage of eggs damaged and cracked by pecking. Nonparametric analyses of these traits were performed using Kruskal-Wallis test. Two replications of treatments 1:1 and 4:1, and one of treatment 2:1 were video-taped for three days, 12 hours/day. The videotapes were sampled according to the scan method to fit an ethogram. Birds were also watched for one hour per day to study dominance and agonistic behavior. None of the reproductive traits was affected by mating sex ratio (p<0.05). Female dominance could be related to displacement behavior (r=1.00), and male sitting in immobility plus sitting in activity behaviors were related to lower number of damaged eggs (r=-0.90). Social dominance was indirectly determined by displacement behavior in the study situation. A large number of damaged eggs occurred in all treatments, thereby not allowing a clear conclusion on the best male:female ratio.

Clinical, parasitological and immunological aspects of experimental infection with Trypanosoma evansi in dogs

This research investigated the pattern of antibody response by means of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (Elisa) and indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) through the course of experimental Trypanosoma evansi infection in dogs. Clinical and parasitological features were also studied. The average prepatent period was 11.2 days and parasitaemia showed an undulating course. Biometrical study of parasites revealed a mean total length of 21.68mm. The disease was characterized by intermittent fever closely related to the degree of parasitaemia and main clinical signs consisted of pallor of mucous membrane, edema, progressive emaciation and enlargement of palpable lymph nodes. Diagnostic antibody was detected within 12 to 15 days and 15 to 19 days of infection by IFAT and Elisa, respectively. High and persistent antibody levels were detected by both tests and appeared not to correlate with control of parasitaemia

Ecological aspects of the free-living ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) on animal trails within Atlantic rainforest in south-eastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Genetic aspects of productive and reproductive traits in a Murrah buffalo herd in São Paulo, Brazil

This study investigated genetic trends of some productive and reproductive traits in a herd of Murrah buffalo raised in São Paulo, Brazil. Variance components for milk production (Mr), length of lactation (LL), calving interval (CI) and age of first calving (AFC) were estimated by che restricted maximum likelihood method, using an animal model. Estimated heritability values were 0.38; 0.01; 0.10 and 0.20 for MP, LL, CI and AFC, respectively. Estimated repeatability values were 0.50, 0.13 and 0.20 for MP, LL and CI, respectively. Means of predicted breeding values for cows, dams and sires according to calving year and the genetic correlations were presented.

Aspectos cognitivos dos manuais de instruções: um estudo de caso em aparelhos de DVD

This work aims to present an investigation on the level of understanding in the informative texts enclosed in manuals of instructions of a DVD set, trying to identify what makes consumers use or not manuals of instructions which accompany the products. It analyses factors that affect the motivation to use manuals and, linguistically, to verify whether the language used in the manuals is adapted for the understanding of the information by the consumer. Under an ergonomic approach, the research tries to recognize whether it is accordance in the information contained in manuals. According to the production engineering, it is very important to insert the best production practical and administration of the product in the companies, aiming the best competitiveness, The present study suggests a route to evaluate manuals of instructions of a DVD set, using for that a questionnaire with closed questions and an open one, applied to students, employees and teachers of an agricultural school bonded to Rio Grande do Norte Federal University. The results can contribute to provide helps to industry in presentation quality betterment of its information, and becoming the consumer integral part of that improvement process

Agronomical and phytochemical aspects of fafia

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Linguagem, cognição e mundo: o livro do desassossego e a construção discursiva da realidade

This study analyzes the processes of meaning construction in the Livro do Desassossego, by semi-heteronym Bernardo Soares - Fernando Pessoa. We use theoretical grounds from an interface between Cognitive Linguistics and Textual Linguistics to observe how certain linguistic mechanisms build a reality that tells us of a time, a being and his conceptions of language and writing. We focus on description and explanation of procedures of categorization and referentiation accomplished, for example, through metaphor and metonymy. For the construction of the intended theoretical interface, we use analytical categories proposed and developed by the Socio-cognitive Approach of Language, Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Mental Space Theory. Armed with this theoretical background, we observed the dynamics of language in relation to its social, cultural and historical features, as well as the cognitive aspects that underlie it. We seek, therefore, encourage discussions about the functioning of language considering primarily the creative processes that allow us to organize and shape our experiences. We also try to provide an approximation of Linguistics, Literature and Philosophy, with a view to relations between language structure, cognitive activity and socio-cultural organization. From the results obtained, we found that a literary text attests, with a particular property, the mutual relations between language, cognition and culture, as indicates cognitive approach to language studies

Morphoquantitative aspects of nitrergic myoenteric neurons from the stomach of diabetic rats supplemented with acetyl-L-carnitine

The NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d) positive myoenteric neurons from the body of the stomach of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes with or without supplementation with acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) were evaluated. At the age of 105 days the animals were divided into four groups: normoglycaemic (C), normoglycaemic supplemented with ALC (CC), diabetic (D) and diabetic supplemented with ALC (DC). The supplementation with ALC (200 mg/kg body weight/day) to groups CC and DC was made during 105 days. After this period the animals were killed and the stomach removed and subjected to the histochemical technique of NADPH-d for the staining of the neurons of the myoenteric plexus. The area of 500 neurons of each group was investigated, as well as the neuronal density in an area of 23.84 mm(2) in each stomach. ALC promoted reduction (P < 0.05) of fasting glycaemia, water ingestion and areas of the profiles of the cell bodies of the NADPH-d neurons in the diabetic animals. The density of these neurons was not statistically different in the groups studied. It is suggested, therefore, a moderate neuroprotective effect of ALC, because the diminishment of the areas of the neuronal profiles in the supplemented diabetic animals, although being statistically significant relative to the non-supplemented diabetics, was not sufficient to equal the values from the non-diabetic controls.

Morphoquantitative aspects of NADH-diaphorase myenteric neurons in the ileum of diabetic rats treated with acetyl-L-carnitine

In this work, we investigated the effect of the acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) supplementation (200 mg/kg/day) on the myenteric neurons of the ileum of rats made diabetic by streptozotocin (35 mg/kg, i.v.). Four groups were used: diabetic (D), diabetic supplemented with ALC (DC), control (C) and control supplemented with ALC (CC). After 15 weeks of diabetes induction the animals were killed and the ileum was collected and subjected to whole-mount preparation to evidence the myenteric neurons through the histochemical technique of the NADH-diaphorase. The density of neurons seen in 12.72 min(2) of ileum showed no difference among the groups, although in group D it was 22% smaller than in group C, while group DC was 9% smaller to group CC. The profiles of the cell bodies (PC) of 1000 neurons per group were analysed. The neurons PC in group D decreased (P < 0.0001) when compared with other groups and increased (P < 0.0001) when compared with group DC. The incidence of neurons with a PC inferior to 200 mu m(2) was larger in group D. The frequency of neurons with a PC higher than 200 mu m(2) in group DC was close to those seen in groups C and CC. We concluded that ALC eases the loss of neurons and makes the incidence of myenteric neurons with a PC higher than 200 mu m(2) similar to the control rats.

Ultrastructural Aspects of Spermatogenesis in Phalloceros caudimaculatus (Teleostei, Poeciliidae)

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

Structural aspects of the fermion-boson mapping in two-dimensional gauge and anomalous gauge theories with massive fermions

Using a synthesis of the functional integral and operator approaches we discuss the fermion-buson mapping and the role played by the Bose field algebra in the Hilbert space of two-dimensional gauge and anomalous gauge field theories with massive fermions. In QED, with quartic self-interaction among massive fermions, the use of an auxiliary vector field introduces a redundant Bose field algebra that should not be considered as an element of the intrinsic algebraic structure defining the model. In anomalous chiral QED, with massive fermions the effect of the chiral anomaly leads to the appearance in the mass operator of a spurious Bose field combination. This phase factor carries no fermion selection rule and the expected absence of Theta-vacuum in the anomalous model is displayed from the operator solution. Even in the anomalous model with massive Fermi fields, the introduction of the Wess-Zumino field replicates the theory, changing neither its algebraic content nor its physical content. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. (USA).

Collider aspects of flavor physics at high Q

This chapter of the "Flavor in the era of LHC" workshop report discusses flavor-related issues in the production and decays of heavy states at the LHC at high momentum transfer Q, both from the experimental and the theoretical perspective. We review top quark physics, and discuss the flavor aspects of several extensions of the standard model, such as supersymmetry, little Higgs models or models with extra dimensions. This includes discovery aspects, as well as the measurement of several properties of these heavy states. We also present publicly available computational tools related to this topic.

Modeling and Experimental Aspects of Self-healing Bolted Joint through Shape Memory Alloy Actuators

Bolted joints are a form of mechanical coupling largely used in machinery due to their reliability and low cost. Failure of bolted joints can lead to catastrophic events, such as leaking, train derailments, aircraft crashes, etc. Most of these failures occur due to the reduction of the pre-load, induced by mechanical vibration or human errors in the assembly or maintenance process. This article investigates the application of shape memory alloy (SMA) washers as an actuator to increase the pre-load on loosened bolted joints. The application of SMA washer follows a structural health monitoring procedure to identify a damage (reduction in pre-load) occurrence. In this article, a thermo-mechanical model is presented to predict the final pre-load achieved using this kind of actuator, based on the heat input and SMA washer dimension. This model extends and improves on the previous model of Ghorashi and Inman [2004, "Shape Memory Alloy in Tension and Compression and its Application as Clamping Force Actuator in a Bolted Joint: Part 2 - Modeling," J. Intell. Mater. Syst. Struct., 15:589-600], by eliminating the pre-load term related to nut turning making the system more practical. This complete model is a powerful but complex tool to be used by designers. A novel modeling approach for self-healing bolted joints based on curve fitting of experimental data is presented. The article concludes with an experimental application that leads to a change in joint assembly to increase the system reliability, by removing the ceramic washer component. Further research topics are also suggested.

A newly recognized syndrome of marfanoid habitus; Long face; Hypotelorism; Long, thin nose; Long, thin hands and feet; and a specific pattern of language and learning disabilities

Here, we report on a newly recognized syndrome in a Brazilian family with three affected women, who had a Marfanoid habitus; long face; hypotelorism; long, thin nose; long, thin hands and feet; and language and learning disabilities. The disorder is compatible with autosomal dominant inheritance. (C) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.