Seleção e avaliação do desempenho produtivo de clones de café conilon na Região Sul do Estado do Espírito Santo.

Embora a produção de café conilon no Espírito Santo se concentre na região norte, cerca de 20% da produção total da espécie no Estado é obtida na região sul. Essa região apresenta características de clima e solo adequados ao cultivo da espécie e vem renovando e mesmo aumentando gradativamente suas áreas de cultivo. Para essa renovação tem sido utilizadas cultivares cujos clones foram selecionados e avaliados na região norte. Esse trabalho visa avaliar nas condições do sul do Estado, o comportamento de clones selecionados nessa e noutras regiões. Os dados obtidos na primeira safra (produtividade de até 89,40Sc benef./ha), indicam um grande potencial da região para que sejam alcançados altos níveis de produtividade. Indicam também a existência de grande variabilidade genética para a característica em questão

Qualidade do café arábica em diferentes altitudes no Espírito Santo.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a influência de diferentes altitudes na qualidade do café arabica, avaliada pela análise sensorial. Para tanto, foram avaliados grãos de três cultivares de café arábica colhidos em três ambientes com altitudes diferentes, ou seja, a 700 m, 950 m e 1100 m, nos municípios de Venda Nova do Imigrante, Domingos Martins e Santa Maria do Jetiba, respectivamente. Os cafés foram secos em terreiro suspenso coberto até que alcançassem 12% de umidade. A classificação sensorial foi realizada por um provador especializado, sem prévio conhecimento das amostras. Verificou-se que cafés cultivados em maiores altitudes originaram melhores bebidas. Não houve diferença significativa entre as cultivares Rubi, Catuai Vermelho IAC 44 e Catuai Vermelho IAC 81 para a qualidade da bebida

Characterizations of how species mediate ecosystem properties require more comprehensive functional effect descriptors

The importance of individual species in mediating ecosystem process and functioning is generally accepted, but categorical descriptors that summarize species-specific contributions to ecosystems tend to reference a limited number of biological traits and underestimate the importance of how organisms interact with their environment. Here, we show how three functionally contrasting sediment-dwelling marine invertebrates affect fluid and particle transport - important processes in mediating nutrient cycling - and use high-resolution reconstructions of burrow geometry to determine the extent and nature of biogenic modification. We find that individual functional effect descriptors fall short of being able to adequately characterize how species mediate the stocks and flows of important ecosystem properties and that, in contrary to common practice and understanding, they are not substitutable with one another because they emphasize different aspects of species activity and behavior. When information derived from these metrics is combined with knowledge of how species behave and modify their environment, however, detailed mechanistic information emerges that increases the likelihood that a species functional standing will be appropriately summarized. Our study provides evidence that more comprehensive functional effect descriptors are required if they are to be of value to those tasked with projecting how altered biodiversity will influence future ecosystems

Simplifying understory complexity in oil palm plantations is associated with a reduction in the density of a cleptoparasitic spider, Argyrodes miniaceus (Araneae: Theridiidae), in host (Araneae: Nephilinae) webs.

Expansion of oil palm agriculture is currently one of the main drivers of habitat modification in Southeast Asia. Habitat modification can have significant effects on biodiversity, ecosystem function, and interactions between species by altering species abundances or the available resources in an ecosystem. Increasing complexity within modified habitats has the potential to maintain biodiversity and preserve species interactions. We investigated trophic interactions between Argyrodes miniaceus, a cleptoparasitic spider, and its Nephila spp. spider hosts in mature oil palm plantations in Sumatra, Indonesia. A. miniaceus co-occupy the webs of Nephila spp. females and survive by stealing prey items caught in the web. We examined the effects of experimentally manipulated understory vegetation complexity on the density and abundance of A. miniaceus in Nephila spp. webs. Experimental understory treatments included enhanced complexity, standard complexity, and reduced complexity understory vegetation, which had been established as part of the ongoing Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function in Tropical Agriculture (BEFTA) Project. A. miniaceus density ranged from 14.4 to 31.4 spiders per square meter of web, with significantly lower densities found in reduced vegetation complexity treatments compared with both enhanced and standard treatment plots. A. miniaceus abundance per plot was also significantly lower in reduced complexity than in standard and enhanced complexity plots. Synthesis and applications: Maintenance of understory vegetation complexity contributes to the preservation of spider host-cleptoparasite relationships in oil palm plantations. Understory structural complexity in these simplified agroecosystems therefore helps to support abundant spider populations, a functionally important taxon in agricultural landscapes. In addition, management for more structurally complex agricultural habitats can support more complex trophic interactions in tropical agroecosystems

Comportamento do café arábica em diferentes densidades de plantio no Espírito Santo.

No Espírito Santo a produtividade média do café arábica é muito baixa, face a diferentes fatores de produção, como a utilização de baixas densidades de plantio. Esse trabalho objetivou analisar o comportamento do café arábica avaliado em cinco densidades de plantio e em dois ambientes representativos. As cultivares testadas foram Icatu Amarelo IAC 2944, Catuai Vermelho IAC 44 e Iapar 59. Maiores produções foram obtidas no local de maior altitude. Verificaram-se diferenças de comportamento entre as cultivares quanto à densidade de plantas/ha, com tendência de rendimentos superiores nos plantios mais adensados

Preparação e Caracterização do Óxido de Grafeno Funcionalizado Com Aminas para Aplicação em Supercapacitores Eletroquímicos.

Preparação e Caracterização do Óxido de Grafeno Funcionalizado Com Aminas para Aplicação em Supercapacitores Eletroquímicos

Efeito da tiroxina e do hormônio folículo estimulante no desenvolvimento in vitro de folículos pré-antrais ovinos.

O presente experimento foi desenvolvido a fim de se verificar o efeito da tiroxina na presença ou ausência do hormônio folículo estimulante (FSH) sobre a sobrevivência e o crescimento de folículos pré-antrais de ovinos. Fragmentos de tecido ovariano foram cultivados por 1 e 7 dias em meio essencial mínimo (?-MEM+) suplementado ou não com diferentes concentrações de tiroxina (10, 20, 50 µg/mL) na presença ou ausência de rFSH (50 ng/mL). O tecido ovariano não-cultivado (controle fresco) e os fragmentos cultivados no dia 1 e 7 nos diferentes tratamentos foram processados e analisados utilizando a técnica de histologia clássica. Quando os dias de cultivo foram comparados ao controle não-cultivado, somente no dia 1 foi verificado que os tratamentos contendo ?- MEM+, FSH, T20 e T50 mostraram percentuais de sobrevivência folicular semelhantes ao controle. Quando os tratamentos foram comparados entre si dentro de cada período de cultivo, foi observado que apenas no dia 7, o tratamento contendo T50 apresentou um percentual de folículos normais superior ao tratamento T10F. Com relação ao diâmetro folicular, não houve crescimento dos folículos em cultivo, uma vez que todos os tratamentos comportaram-se de maneira semelhante ao controle não-cultivado e ao ?- MEM+, exceto o tratamento T10. Ao se comparar os tratamentos, dentro de cada período de cultivo, foi observado que no dia 1 os tratamentos T50, T10F e T50F apresentaram diâmetro folicular superior quando comparados ao tratamento T10. Semelhante ao crescimento folicular também não houve crescimento oocitário. Para o diâmetro oocitário, no dia 1, foi verificada uma redução para os tratamentos T10 e T20F quando comparados ao não cultivado. Já no dia 7 de cultivo os tratamentos FSH, T10F e T50F reduziram o diâmetro oocitário, com a progressão do cultivo do dia 1 para o dia 7 e ainda quando comparados ao controle não-cultivado e ao ?-MEM+. Concluiu-se que altas concentrações de T4 (50 ?g/ml) proporcionaram resultados promissores no que diz respeito à sobrevivência e desenvolvimento folicular in vitro. Quanto a associação da T4 com o FSH não demonstrou resultados positivos na sobrevivência e no desenvolvimento folicular in vitro. Embora seja conhecida a atuação da tiroxina na fisiologia ovariana são necessárias mais pesquisas que verifiquem sua importância para o desenvolvimento in vitro de folículos pré-antrais ovinos. [Effects of thyroxin and follicle stimulating hormone on the in vitro development of ovine preantral follicles]. Abstract - This experiment has been developed in order to verify the thyroxine effect in the presence or absence of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) on survival and growth of sheep preantral follicles. Fragments of ovarian tissue were grown for 1 or 7 days in a situation with a minimum essential (?-MEM +) alone or containing thyroxine (10, 20, 50 µg/mL) in the presence or absence of rFSH (50 ng/mL). The ovarian tissue non-grown (fresh control) and grown in different treatments were processed for analysis using the classical histology technique. When the days of culture were compared to the non-cultivated control, on the first day was found that the treatment with ?-MEM+, FSH, T20 and T50 showed follicular survival percentages similar to control. When the treatments have been compared between each other within the growing season was identified that only on the 7th day, the treatment containing T50 presents a percentage of normal follicles significantly superior to the treatment with T10F. Related to the follicular diameter, the follicle in culture has not grown, since all treatments have had a similar behavior when controlling non-grown and ?- MEM+, except the T10 treatment. When comparing the treatments within each growing season, it has been observed that on the first day, treatments T50, T10F and T50F have showed a follicular diameter greater when compared to T10 treatment. Similar to what happenedto follicular growth, oocitário growth has not grown either. For oocitário diameter, on the first day, there was a reduction for T10 and T20F treatments when compared to non-grown. On the 7th day of grown, FSH, T10F and T50F treatments have reduced oocitário diameter, with a progression of culture from the first day to the 7th one and even when compared to control non-grown and ?-MEM+. It was concluded that high T4 concentrations (50 g / ml) have provided promising about the survival and follicular development in vitro. The association of T4 with FSH, have not presented positive results in the survival and follicular development in vitro. Although it is known the thyroxine action on ovarian physiology, there is a need to verify its importance for the in vitro development of preantral sheep follicles.Dissertação (Mestrado em Medicina Veterinária) - Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG. Orientador: Eduardo Paulino da Costa; Co-Orientador: Laércio dos Anjos Benjamin, Co-Orientador: Jeferson Ferreira da Fonseca, Embrapa Caprinos e Ovinos (CNPC); Co-Orientador: José Domingos Guimarães

Are isomeric alkenes used in species recognition among neo-tropical stingless bees (Melipona spp)

The majority of our understanding of the role of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC) in recognition is based largely on temperate ant species and honey bees. The stingless bees remain relatively poorly studied, despite being the largest group of eusocial bees, comprising more than 400 species in some 60 genera. The Meliponini and Apini diverged between 80-130 Myr B.P. so the evolutionary trajectories that shaped the chemical communication systems in ants, honeybees and stingless bees may be very different. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to study if a unique species CHC signal existed in Neotropical stingless bees, as shown for many temperate species, and if so what compounds are involved. This was achieved by collecting CHC data from 24 colonies belonging to six species of Melipona from North-eastern Brazil and comparing this new data with all previously published CHC studies on Melipona. We found that each of the eleven Melipona species studied so far each produced a unique species CHC signal based around their alkene isomer production. A remarkable number of alkene isomers, up to 25 in M. asilvai, indicated the diversification of alkene positional isomers among the stingless bees. The only other group to have really diversified in alkene isomer production are the primitively eusocial Bumblebees (Bombus spp), which are the sister group of the stingless bees. Furthermore, among the eleven Neotropical Melipona species we could detect no effect of the environment on the proportion of alkane production as has been suggested for some other species

Nanocomposite polymer electrolytes of sodium alginate and montmorillonite clay

Nanocomposite polymer electrolytes (NPEs) were synthesized using sodium alginate (Alg) and either sodium (SCa-3-Na+)- or lithium (SCa-3-Li+)-modified montmorillonite clays. The samples were characterized by structural, optical, and electrical properties. SCa-3-Na+ and SCa-3-Li+ clays’ X-ray structural analyses revealed peaks at 2θ = 7.2° and 6.7° that corresponded to the interlamellar distances of 12.3 and 12.8 Å, respectively. Alg-based NPEs X-ray diffractograms showed exfoliated structures for samples with low clay percentages. The increase of clay content promoted the formation of intercalated structures. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy revealed that Alg-based NPEs with 5 wt% of SCa-3-Na+ clay presented the highest conductivity of 1.96 × 10−2 S/cm2, and Alg with 10 wt% of SCa-3-Li+ showed conductivity of 1.30 × 10−2 S/cm2, both measured at 70 °C. From UV-Vis spectroscopy, it was possible to infer that increasing concentration of clay promoted a decrease of the samples’ transmittance and, consequently, an increase of their reflectance.This research was partially founded by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001 (proc. PNPD20131739-33002045017P6, F. Sentanin fellowship no. 1573926)