Nesting habits and colonial productivity of Polistes canadensis canadensis (L.) (Hymenoptera-Vespidae) in a Caatinga area, Bahia State Brazil

The paper aims at increasing the knowledge on the ecology of Polistes canadensis canadensis colonies in a Caatinga region. We studied some aspects of P.c. canadensis nesting habitats and colonial productivity. In the environmental conditions studied, this species nests on several types of substrata, particulary on thorny plants and in caves. The colony productivity and the cell reoccupation rate varies from one colony to another. In some colonies, we found cells with one, two and, more rarely, three reoccupations, this is upto four individuals produced in one cell only. The rate of the first reoccupation was 2.88-34.78%, with na average rate of 15.96%. The number of adults produced by the colonies of Flc, canadensis varied from 10 to 576 individuals. Productivity, given by the relationship between the number of born adults and the number of cell existing in the nest, varied from 31.25 to 123.19% and presented an average of 88.50%.

Vertical displacement during late-collisional escape tectonics (Brasiliano Orogeny) in the Ribeira Belt, São Paulo State, Brazil

During the Brasiliano-Pan-African Orogeny, West Gondwana formed by collisional processes around the Sao Francisco-Congo Craton. The Ribeira belt, in southeastern Brazil, resulted from northwestward collision (650-600 Ma), followed by large-scale northeast-southwest dextral strike-slip shear movements related to late-collisional escape tectonics (ca 600 Ma).In São Paulo State, three groups, also interpreted as terranes, are recognised in the Ribeira Belt, the Embu, Itapira and Sao Rogue Groups. The Embu and Itapira Groups are formed of sillimanite-gneisses, schists and migmatites intruded by Neoproterozoic calc-alkaline granitoids, all thrusted northwestward. The Sao Rogue Group is composed of metasediments and metavolcanics in greenschist-facies. Its deformation indicates a transpressional regime associated with tectonic escape. Sub-alkaline granites were emplaced in shallow levels during this regime. Microstructural studies along the Itu, Moreiras and Taxaquara Shear Zones demonstrate the coexistence of horizontal and Vertical displacement components during the transpressional regime. The vertical component is regarded as responsible for the lateral juxtaposition of different crustal levels. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. Limited. All rights reserved.

Predictors of incorrectness in antimicrobial prescription in the Bauru State Hospital (Bauru city, São Paulo State, Brazil)

The inappropriate use of antimicrobials in hospitals presents a negative impact on patient outcome and is associated with the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant microorganisms. Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) have been instituted in order to improve the quality of prescriptions in hospitals. In this setting, the identification of patterns of inappropriate antimicrobial prescription is a valuable tool that allows ASPs to identify priorities for directing educative/restrictive policies. With this purpose, a study was conducted in the Bauru State Hospital, a teaching hospital with 285 beds affiliated to the Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University. The hospital maintains an active ASP since it was opened, in 2002. We selected 25% of the requests for parenteral antimicrobials (RPAs) from 2005 for analysis. Prescriptions for prophylactic purposes were excluded. All other RPAs were classified according to a modified Kunin and Jones categories. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to identify predictors of general inappropriateness and of specific prescription errors. Prescriptions classified as "appropriate'' or "probably appropriate" were selected as controls in all stages of the study. Among 963 RPAs included in our study, 34.6% were inappropriate. General predictors of inappropriateness were: prescription on weekends/holidays (OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.20-2.28, p = 0.002), patient from intensive care unit (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.11-2.23, p = 0.01), peritoneal (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.27-3.65, p = 0.004) or urinary tract infection (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.25-2.87, p = 0.002), combined therapy with two or more antimicrobials (OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.15-2.57, p = 0.008) and prescriptions including penicillin (OR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.39-3.25, p = 0.001) or first-generation cephalosporins (OR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.01-3.00, p = 0.048). Previous consultation with an infectious diseases (ID) specialist had a protective effect against inappropriate prescription (OR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.24-0.50, p < 0.001). Factors independently associated with specific prescription errors varied. However, consultation with an ID specialist was protective against both unnecessary antimicrobial use (OR = 0.04, 95% CI = 0.01-0.26, p = 0.001) and requests for agents with insufficient spectrum (OR = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.03-0.30, p = 0.01). In conclusion, the analysis of factors predictive of inappropriateness in antimicrobial prescription allowed us to identify issues requiring intervention. Also, it provided a positive feedback of the ASP efficacy, demonstrating the importance of previous consultation with an ID specialist to assure the quality of antimicrobial prescriptions.

The planktonic community in tropical interdunal ponds (Lencois Maranhenses National Park, Maranhao State, Brazil).

The aim of this study was to characterize the LenYois Maranhenses ponds (Maranhao State, Brazil) with respect to morphometry and physical and chemical aspects of the water body, in particular, the planktonic community. LenYois Maranhenses is a tropical coastal region with sand dunes and numerous interdunal ponds, most of them temporary. Ten ponds were studied, and a nictemeral variation was carried out. They have similar physical and chemical characteristics (high temperature - 27.5 to 32.0 [degree]C, acid pH - 4.9 to 6.2, low values of dissolved nutrients, chloride - 0.75 to 1.00 mg.L[long dash]1, and electric conductivity - 18.8 to 33.2 [mu]S.cm[long dash]1, and light penetration up to the sediment). With respect to the plankton, it is likely that the different histories of colonization, the formation of the ponds, and the initial organisms, affect the species richness, density and dominance observed. The lakes were classified as polymitic and oligotrophic.

Anthropogenic influences on annual flux of cations and anions at meio stream basin, São Paulo State, Brazil

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

Manejo de irrigação e nitrogênio no feijoeiro comum cultivado em sistema plantio direto

With technological innovations, such as irrigation, the bean has been grown by producers who have the most varied levels of technology that, in suitable times, allows the planting great success in grain yield. The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of the dry bean to different managements of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization with no-tillage system, in Aquidauana - MS, Brazil. The experiment was conducted at the Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), with the soil of the area classified as Alfisol, using the bean crop "Perola" sown on June 30, 2007. The experimental design was a randomized block split-plot consisting of three blocks and two replications within each block. The plots were composed of three management of irrigation, by the Class A pan method, using Hargreaves-Samani equation, and management by tensiometry (-40 kPa), with water replacement of 16.5 mm for all irrigation plots. The subplots consisted on four rates of nitrogen fertilization (0; 50; 100 and 150 kg ha(-1)), in which the nitrogen source was urea. It was concluded that the irrigation management through the Class A pan and Hargreaves-Samani equation conduced to higher grain yields of bean, 3031.11 and 3005.02 kg ha(-1) respectively.

Abundance and temporal-spatial distribution of the rock shrimp Sicyonia dorsalis Kingsley, 1878 (Decapoda, Penaeoidea) from the northern coast of São Paulo state, Brazil.

Abundance and ecological distribution of the rock shrimp Sicyonia dorsalis from the northern coast of São Paulo State (Brazil) was investigated during a two-year period (July 2001 to June 2003). Monthly collections were conducted in the Ubatuba (UBA) and Caraguatatuba (CA) regions, using a commercial shrimp boat equipped with double-rig nets. In each region, seven depths were delimited (5 m to 35 m). A total of 1,752 and 1,894 shrimp were obtained at UBA and CA, respectively. The distribution of S. dorsalis differed among depths, years, and seasons. Highest abundance values were recorded in depths where silt and clay comprised more than 70% of the sediment. The majority (89%) of captured specimens were caught in the first year, in periods of lower mean temperature, mainly in the spring of 2001, when the intrusion of cold South Atlantic Central Waters (SACW) was more intense. In such period, the differences in the abundance of shrimps in each region (UBA = 1,118 and CA = 493) suggested that S. dorsalis migrated to the north (UBA), during the SACW intrusion. Thus, sediment type and water temperature are among the most important variables affecting the bathymetric distribution of S. dorsalis in these regions.

A GEP-ISFG collaborative study on the optimization of an X-STR decaplex: data on 15 Iberian and Latin American populations

In a collaborative work carried out by the Spanish and Portuguese ISFG Working Group (GEP-ISFG), a polymerase chain reaction multiplex was optimized in order to type ten X-chromosome short tandem repeats (STRs) in a single reaction, including: DXS8378, DXS9902, DXS7132, DXS9898, DXS6809, DXS6789, DXS7133, GATA172D05, GATA31E08, and DXS7423. Using this X-decaplex, each 17 of the participating laboratories typed a population sample of approximately 200 unrelated individuals (100 males and 100 females). In this work, we report the allele frequencies for the ten X-STRs in 15 samples from Argentina (Buenos Aires, CA(3)rdoba, Rio Negro, Entre Rios, and Misiones), Brazil (SA o pound Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Parana, and Mato Grosso do Sul), Colombia (Antioquia), Costa Rica, Portugal (Northern and Central regions), and Spain (Galicia and Cantabria). Gene diversities were calculated for the ten markers in each population and all values were above 56%. The average diversity per locus varied between 66%, for DXS7133, and 82%, for DXS6809. For this set of STRs, a high discrimination power was obtained in all populations, both in males (a parts per thousand yen1 in 5 A- 10(5)) and females (a parts per thousand yen1 in 3 A- 10(9)), as well as high mean exclusion chance in father/daughter duos (a parts per thousand yen99.953%) and in father/mother/daughter trios (a parts per thousand yen99.999%). Genetic distance analysis showed no significant differences between northern and central Portugal or between the two Spanish samples from Galicia and Cantabria. Inside Brazil, significant differences were found between Rio de Janeiro and the other three populations, as well as between SA o pound Paulo and Parana. For the five Argentinean samples, significant distances were only observed when comparing Misiones with Entre Rios and with Rio Negro, the only two samples that do not differ significantly from Costa Rica. Antioquia differed from all other samples, except the one from Rio Negro.

Short Report: Vaccinia Virus in Humans and Cattle in Southwest Region of São Paulo State, Brazil

A new outbreak of Vaccinia virus was observed in Southwest region of São Paulo State. Brazil. The disease was observed in four small dairy farms with manual milking. Lesions were detected in cattle and in humans previously vaccinated and not vaccinated against smallpox. Although several reports of Vaccinia virus outbreaks have been occuring in Brazil, it was not yet reported in this region. This Outbreak reinforces the Viral circulation in Our country. The disease in persons previously vaccinated and not vaccinated against smallpox reinforces the absence of immunity, the risk to the human health, and the need for more epidemiologic and immunologic studies.