Estrutura Diamétrica e Arranjo Espacial das Espécies Mais Abundantes de um Fragmento de Floresta Estacional Semidecidual em Botucatu, SP

RESUMOFoi feito um estudo sobre a estrutura diamétrica e o arranjo espacial das espécies mais abundantes que ocorrem em um dos cinco fragmentos florestais da Fazenda Experimental Edgardia (1.200 ha), município de Botucatu, SP. A área do remanescente é de 56 ha. Inventariaram-se 185 unidades amostrais contíguas de 100 m2, que compuseram uma amostra de 1,85 ha. Levantou-se a composição florística e estrutura horizontal da vegetação do centro do remanescente. Dentre as dez espécies de maior valor de importância, sete apresentaram abundância que permitiu realizar os estudos sobre distribuição diamétrica e distribuição espacial. O somatório dos índices de valores de importância (IVI) obtidos para as espécies mais abundantes (185,98) mostrou que elas têm uma grande participação na estrutura da vegetação que está se regenerando. Após ajuste das distribuições diamétricas das sete espécies, seis apresentaram um padrão de distribuição na forma de J invertido, refletindo regeneração contínua dos indivíduos dessas espécies. Quatro dessas distribuições foram distinguidas como tipo I (ou distribuição balanceada). As características relacionadas com as distribuições de diâmetros ajustadas auxiliaram na indicação de uma atenuação da perturbação antropogênica. Verificou-se relação direta entre o arranjo espacial e a síndrome de dispersão para Trichilia clausseni e Metrodorea nigra e, dependendo das escalas analisadas, para T. catigua e T. casaretti

A study of habitat fragmentation in Southeastern Brazil using remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS)

The purpose of this work was to study fragmentation of forest formations (mesophytic forest, riparian woodland and savannah vegetation (cerrado)) in a 15,774-ha study area located in the Municipal District of Botucatu in Southeastern Brazil (São Paulo State). A land use and land cover map was made from a color composition of a Landsat-5 thematic mapper (TM) image. The edge effect caused by habitat fragmentation was assessed by overlaying, on a geographic information system (GIS), the land use and land cover data with the spectral ratio. The degree of habitat fragmentation was analyzed by deriving: 1. mean patch area and perimeter; 2. patch number and density; 3. perimeter-area ratio, fractal dimension (D), and shape diversity index (SI); and 4. distance between patches and dispersion index (R). In addition, the following relationships were modeled: 1. distribution of natural vegetation patch sizes; 2. perimeter-area relationship and the number and area of natural vegetation patches; 3. edge effect caused by habitat fragmentation, the values of R indicated that savannah patches (R = 0.86) were aggregated while patches of natural vegetation as a whole (R = 1.02) were randomly dispersed in the landscape. There was a high frequency of small patches in the landscape whereas large patches were rare. In the perimeter-area relationship, there was no sign of scale distinction in the patch shapes, In the patch number-landscape area relationship, D, though apparently scale-dependent, tends to be constant as area increases. This phenomenon was correlated with the tendency to reach a constant density as the working scale was increased, on the edge effect analysis, the edge-center distance was properly estimated by a model in which the edge-center distance was considered a function of the to;al patch area and the SI. (C) 1997 Elsevier B.V. B.V

Synopsis of the species of Myxobolus Butschli, 1882 (Myxozoa: Myxosporea, Myxobolidae) described between 2005 and 2013

A synopsis of the species of Myxobolus Butschli, 1882 (Myxozoa, Myxosporea, Myxobolidae) described between 2005 and 2013 is presented, including 112 nominal species. For each species the most important morphological and morphometric features are indicated in tabulated format. Included are also accession numbers for molecular data (when available), site of the infection within the host, features of the vegetative stage, organ infected, etc., plus a full bibliography of the original records for these species.A synopsis of the species of Myxobolus Butschli, 1882 (Myxozoa, Myxosporea, Myxobolidae) described between 2005 and 2013 is presented, including 112 nominal species. For each species the most important morphological and morphometric features are indicated in tabulated format. Included are also accession numbers for molecular data (when available), site of the infection within the host, features of the vegetative stage, organ infected, etc., plus a full bibliography of the original records for these species

Mat thickness associated with Didymosphenia geminata and Cymbella spp. in the southern rivers of Chile

Didymosphenia geminata is a diatom that can alter aquatic systems. Several investigations have shown as chemical, and hydraulic factors have a great influence on the proliferation of D. geminata, but the study of other microalgae that could be associated with it has been poorly addressed. The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between mat thickness, D. geminata and another taxon that produces mucilage, Cymbella, while also considering physical and chemical factors. For this, two samples were taken, one in the spring of 2013 and the other in the autumn of 2014, from eight rivers in central-southern Chile-South America, where the benthic community was characterized, and the thickness of the mat was measured. The results show that the mat thickness on sites with the presence of both taxa is doubled, and while sites with D. geminata presence showed mat peak on autumn, sites with Cymbella spp. presence showed on spring. Also, higher values of mat thickness associated with low cell densities of D. geminata and intermediate cell densities of Cymbella spp. Finally, physicochemical variables that better explain mat thickness are phosphorus and water temperature. An alternation process of mucilage production may explain these results by these taxa strongly related to physicochemical variables. The present study contributes evidence about the relationship between mat thickness D. geminata and other microalgae contribution, and aquatic condition for this development.FIP 2013-25 project ''Evaluation of Didymosphenia geminata (Didymo) in bodies of water in the south-central area,'' from the Subsecretaria de Pesca y Acuicultura through the Fondo de Investigacion Pesquera, ChileThis work was supported by FIP 2013-25 project ''Evaluation of Didymosphenia geminata (Didymo) in bodies of water in the south-central area,'' from the Subsecretaria de Pesca y Acuicultura through the Fondo de Investigacion Pesquera, Chile. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscrip

Performance and usability of cardiometabolic point of care devices in Nepal: A prospective, quantitative, accuracy study.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, represent a serious global health concern. There is an urgent need for prompt diagnosis and effective monitoring at point of care, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Here we present the results of a study assessing the quantitative accuracy of two devices that may fit the target product profile for a cardiometabolic point-of-care device. This prospective, quantitative, accuracy study (NCT05257564) was conducted between March to May 2022, investigating the performance of the JanaCare Aina Blood Monitoring System (JCAina) and the Tascom SimplexTAS 101 device (TAS101) compared with local standard laboratory methods in rural Nepal. Using fingerstick capillary blood, cardiometabolic parameters were analysed using both devices. The quantitative accuracy was compared against a local laboratory reference assay. System usability was also assessed. For JCAina, the mean absolute biases (Bland-Altman analysis) for glucose, HbA1c and total cholesterol tests were -3.87 mg/dL (95% CI: -7.52--0.22), 1.34% (95% CI: 1.21-1.47), and -9.52 mg/dL (95% CI: -11.9--7.2), respectively, corresponding to mean percentage biases of 2.0%, 18.5%, and -6.4%. These indicate clinically small (<10% biases) differences from laboratory results for glucose and cholesterol, and a moderate (10-20%) positive bias for HbA1c. For TAS101, the mean absolute biases for glucose, HbA1c, total cholesterol and creatinine tests were 18.7 mg/dL (95% CI: 15.8-21.5), -0.2% (95% CI: -0.26--0.14), 29.8 mg/dL (95% CI: 27.0-32.6), and -0.02 mg/dL (95% CI: -0.05-0.01), respectively, corresponding to mean percentage biases of 12.1%, -2.6%, 15.8%, and -4.5%. These indicate clinically small differences for HbA1c and creatinine, and moderate positive biases for glucose and cholesterol. Both systems exhibited usability challenges. The JCAina and TAS101 point-of-care cardiometabolic devices were shown to have promising accuracy in environmental conditions such as in Nepal, though improvements are still needed for some parameters and for ease of use. Trial registration: NCT05257564 (ClinicalTrials.gov)