Habitat use and home range of brown-nosed coati, Nasua nasua (Carnivora: Procyonidae) in the Brazilian Cerrado biome

The brown-nosed coati (Nasua nasua) is a carnivorous species found in all the Brazilian biomes, some of which are endangered areas. The aim of this work was to determine the habitat use and selection, home range and core area of N. nasua in the Cerrado biome, central region of Tocantins, Brazil. The study was carried out in an area of approximately 20 000ha from May 2000 to July 2002. A total of seven box traps were placed in the area for 13 months, three of 11 captured animals were followed and monitored by radio-tracking during 13 months. The monitoring was conducted once a day, three times a week using a car and walking through the study area (radio-tracking and visual contact). The results demonstrate that these three males used more frequently the gallery forest formation, followed by cerrado and wetlands. The use of gallery forest by these animals indicated an habitat selection (Proportion test, z=12.98, p< 0.01). Besides, adult males used the gallery forest more frequently (Fisher's exact test, p<0.01) and wetlands less frequently (Fisher's exact test, p<0.01) than juvenile males, without significant differences between animal ages for cerrado percentage of habitat use. Besides, results also showed a gallery forest selection by adult (Proportion test z= 13.62, p<0.01) and juvenile (Proportion test z=2.68, p<0.01) males, and a wetland selection by the juvenile male (Proportion test z=3.90, p<0.01). The home ranges varied from 2.20 to 7.55km2 for the Minimum Convex Polygon 100% (MCP 100%) and from 4.38 to 13.32km2 for the Harmonic Mean 95% (HM 95%). The smallest home range overlap occurred between the adult males (Nm1 and Nm3), and the greatest between the juvenile Njm2 and the adult Nm1. The average of the core area (HM 75%) for the three monitored animals represented 21.29% of the home range calculated with HM 95%. No overlap between core areas was observed for adult males, but, it was an overlap between the core area of the juvenile male and its band with that of the two adult males. The present study provides new data on core area size and frequency habitat use by adult and juvenile males of N. nasua in the Brazilian Cerrado, that may support conservation efforts. Rev. Biol. Trop. 58 (3): 1069-1077. Epub 2010 September 01.

Digestible methionine plus cystine requirements of ISA Label broilers reared in free-range system

Three assays were carried out to determine the digestible methionine+cystine (Met+Cys) requirement for ISA Label broilers from both sexes. The birds were reared in free range system on starting phase (1 to 28 days), growing phase (28 to 56 days) and finishing phase (56 to 84 days). Four hundred and eighty birds were distributed into 24 pens, each one composed of shelter (3.13 m(2)) and pasture (72.87 m(2)). The experimental design was completely randomized with eight treatments as factorial arrangement (four Met+Cys levels and two sexes) with three replicates of 20 birds. The digestible Met+Cys levels were 0.532; 0.652; 0.772; 0.892% for starting phase; 0.515; 0.635; 0.755; 0.875% for growing phase and 0.469; 0.589; 0.709; 0.829% for finishing phase. The analyzed parameters were performance, carcass yield, body protein and fat deposition, weight and protein concentration in feathers. In the starting phase, the digestible Met+Cys level estimated for males was 0.765 and 0.803% for females, corresponding to 0.252 and 0.268% of Met+Cys/Mcal of ME, respectively. For the growing phase, the digestible Met+Cys level estimated was 0.716% for both sexes, corresponding to 0.235% of Met+Cys/Mcal of ME. For the finishing phase, the Met+Cys levels were 0.756 and 0.597% for males and females, corresponding to 0.244 and 0.193% of Met+Cys/Mcal of ME respectively.

Least limiting water range in soil under crop rotations and chiseling

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

Least limiting water range and crop yields as affected by crop rotations and tillage

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

Agrofuel policies in Brazil: paradigmatic and territorial disputes

The expansion of agrofuel crops challenges us to rethink policies, territories, human agency, and the paradigms used to explain them. In Brazil, policies supporting the expansion of agrofuel crops and the intensification of agrofuel production are reorganising rural land use and undermining some forms of participation in the capitalist and family modes of production. To reflect on this new reality, we study peasant movement reactions, proposals, and territorial disputes with agribusiness. Using the Pontal do Paranapanema region of São Paulo state as a case in point, the paper analyses territorial disputes between expanding sugarcane plantations and agrarian reform settlements as well as biodiesel production projects developed by the Landless Workers Movement (MST) and the Western São Paulo Federation of Settlement and Family Farmer Associations (FAAFOP). It also analyses the agrofuel policies of other peasant organisations, including Via Campesina. The production of agrofuels has changed the processes of land acquisition and use by both agribusiness and the peasantry, provoking new insights into the nature of territorial conflicts and thereby stimulating the need to revise perspectives on the agrarian question in Brazil.

TERRITORIAL DISPUTES, LABOUR RELATIONS and ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IN AGROHIDRONEGOCIO sugarcane IN THE PONTAL PARANAPANEMA (SP)

This research aims to analyze the conflict over land in Postal do Paranapanema (state of São Paulo, Brazil), considering the competition for water resources and the degradation of environmental health in the area called the agrohidronegocio sugarcane. The survey results indicate that the expansion of sugarcane cultivation in this region is causing the worsening health of workers. Moreover, the research also seeks to identify alternative models to the hegemonic project of regional development based on matrix agrohidroenergetica. For this, the research has as interlocutors various types of social movements such as the Landless Workers Movement and the Movement of Dam Affected, and union leaders.

No relationship found between point heteroplasmy in mitochondrial DNA control region and age range, sex and haplogroup in human hairs

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

Toward an understanding of intermediate- and short-range defects in ZnO single crystals. A combined experimental and theoretical study

A joint use of experimental and theoretical techniques allows us to understand the key role of intermediate- and short-range defects in the structural and electronic properties of ZnO single crystals obtained by means of both conventional hydrothermal and microwave-hydrothermal synthesis methods. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, photoluminescence, scanning electronic and transmission electron microscopies were used to characterize the thermal properties, crystalline and optical features of the obtained nano and microwires ZnO structures. In addition, these properties were further investigated by means of two periodic models, crystalline and disordered ZnO wurtzite structure, and first principles calculations based on density functional theory at the B3LYP level. The theoretical results indicate that the key factor controlling the electronic behavior can be associated with a symmetry breaking process, creating localized electronic levels above the valence band.

Use of lithium niobate detector for measuring X-ray intensity in mammographic range

A detector system that can measure X-ray intensity in the mammographic range of 22 to 36 kVp (equivalent photon energies ofthe beam between 11 and 15 keV) is presented. It consists of a lithium mobate detector and a high-sensitivity current-to-voltage converter.

A high dynamic range method for the direct readout of a dynamic phase change in homodyne interferometers

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

Optimal Frequency Range Selection for PZT Transducers in Impedance-Based SHM Systems

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

A simplified and higher dynamic range version of the J(1) ... J(4) method for optical phase measurements

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Zoneamento geoambiental como subsídio ao planejamento territorial municipal: estudo de caso para Currais Novos/RN

This paper presents the master plan and geoenvironmental zoning natures as instruments of environmental planning and management. The discussion of territory environmental planning is guided by two directions: at first the environmental elements involved in planning and the another is the implementation of these instruments at the municipal territory. To analyze the planning directed of the municipal territory we consider the fragments of its, represented by country and urban. The master plan inside of the Estatuto da Cidade (City Statute) and the geoenvironmental zoning are directed to territorial environmental planning. Regarding of the master plan the first challenge has been the spacial area that the plan can cover. It is necessary to prepare master plans that could include all the territory. The environmental zoning are directed for the territory totality.In this sense, the geoenvironmental zoning of the Currais Novos was done in the totality of the municipal territory and guided by the environmental physics variables. The geoenvironmental zoning sets in a planning and ordering of the territory instrument based in the landscape analysis. Therefore grounded in the Geosystems‟s Theory this work has like a main objective to propose a geoenvironmental zoning for the Currais Novos Municipality in RN. So, was used an analysis technique suggested for Bardin (2010) and the Currais Novos‟s physical environment characterization through of the fieldwork and cartographic data vectorization, beyond the image‟s treatment SRTM. The geoenvironmental systems definitions were based in the suggestion of Cestaro, et al. (2007) support in Bertrand (1968). For both were identified five geoenvironmental systems: Borborema Plateau, Residual plateau, Chapada da Serra de Santana, semiarid river valley and lagoon valley and eleven geoenvironmental subsystems: Borborema Plateau Western Slope, Isolated Massif of the Borborema Plateau, Residual Crest, Residual Massif, Erosional Scarp of the Chapada, flat top plateau, fluvial plains, temporary river of the semiarid and ornamental water or sluice

Desenvolvimento territorial no Rio Grande do Norte: uma identificação de clusters rurais

The general objective of this study is the identification of rural spaces in Rio Grande do Norte through a territorial approach. It looks if there is spatial correlations between municipalities that influence and are influenced by the rural environment, allowing the identification of clusters. To accomplish this objective it`s used, in the methodology, the factor analysis of principal components to achieve the indicators of rurality and territorial development, that deal with four dimensions of analysis: environmental, political-institutional, economical and spatial. Moreover, to identify the spatial correlations structure between municipalities it used the Moran index to both rurality and territorial development, leading to clustering identification. The results show that the rurality is present in most of Rio Grande do Norte municipalities, except in cases like Mossoró, Pau dos Ferros, Caicó and Natal, where can be regional dynamic poles. It is also verified that the more rural municipalities tend to be less developed, according to the territorial development index, and have less correlations with neighboring municipalities

A dinâmica territorial da cultura e do turismo em Mossoró/RN : uma análise geográfica

The city of Mossoró has been, currently, divulged and known in all Rio Grande do Norte as the cultural capital of the State, in function of the excellent carried through investments, each year, in the cultural sector. The present work is considered to construct an understanding to of the dynamics of the culture and tourism in the city of Mossoró. This work searches also , to verify how this territorial dynamics of the city is processed, by the recent years, in function of the local activities as Mossoró Cidade Junina , Auto da liberdade e Festa de Santa Luzia. An analysis of the occured territorial transformations in Mossoró has been done, decurrent of the activities in study, and the impacts proceeding from the public and private investments, that provoke a new dynamics in the city. Moreover, the perception of the community, the private initiative and the public power in relation to these practical is verified as processes of Mossoró. For this, documentary and bibliographical research has been used. It was accomplished, field research, through the comment not-participant and from the accomplishment of interviews with the municipal public power, main idealizer of the parties and with the private initiative, as sponsor. The local community also participated through the application of questionnaires. It has been concluded that the parties as Mossoró Cidade Junina, Auto da Liberdade and Santa Luzia, have demonstrated a capacity to create and to keep a tourism flow, being Mossoró projection as a tourist destination. The city has through it parties, great part of itself moving in direction to guarantee its accomplishment, what it makes with that its territorial dynamics comes being modified for and for the tourism