With still limited information on vitamin requirements and considering that many commercial practices adopt dietary vitamin levels above the values suggested by nutritional tables, this study aimed to assess the effect of administering vitamin supplementation to sows in gestation and lactation and to their litters on the reproductive performance and body condition of the sows and on the performance and immune profile of the litters until slaughter. The trial was split into two phases. The first phase used 104 sows, assigned to be randomized to blocks according to parity, submitted until 21 days of lactation to two treatments: control–standard (standard levels of vitamins) and test–elevated (elevated levels of vitamins). Each sow and its respective farrow were considered an experimental unit. The sows underwent evaluations of body condition score, back fat thickness and reproductive performance. In the second phase, 60 barrows and 60 gilts at 21 days of age and mean initial weight of 5.33 ± 1.5 kg until slaughter at 164 days of age. The piglets were assigned to randomized blocks according to the weight and sex of the animals in a 2 × 2 factorial model, with 10 replicates per treatment, where a pen with three animals represented the experimental unit. Following the same treatments of the first phase, the piglets were evaluated for daily weight gain, daily feed intake, feed conversion, mortality rate and humoral immune response. Vitamin supplementation had no positive effects on the reproductive parameters or body composition of sows. However, it positively impacted the performance of the litters in the early nursery stage, but did not lead to superior effects on the immune responses to vaccination against circovirus or mycoplasma.

Local attitudes towards carnivores often reflect the degree of damage they are perceived to cause. Consequently, understanding the interactions between people and these species is essential to conservation efforts. This study investigated local perceptions of three Cerrado canid species and current chicken management practices, to identify the potential damage they cause and how this relates to peoples’ attitudes towards these species. Results from structured interviews at 50 ranches in Goiás, Brazil, highlighted that general knowledge about Cerrado canids differed significantly by species, with interviewees unable to correctly answer questions about the hoary fox Lycalopex vetulus and crab-eating fox Cerdocyon thous in comparison to the maned wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus. Chicken coops were identified as the most effective method for preventing predation, yet only 44% of respondents employed this method. Using a perceived predation measure, interviewees reported chicken predation by all three Cerrado canids even though most of these events were stated to occur during the day, outside the species’ active periods. Reported predation events were a strong predictor of attitude. Participants who experienced predation events reported they did not like having a Cerrado canid on their property. However, 86% of the respondents agreed that Cerrado canids should nevertheless be protected. Our findings support the need to incorporate the human dimension in canid and broader carnivore conservation issues.

Studies on threatened species in highly modified and unprotected landscapes are necessary for the development of appropriate conservation policies. This is particularly important for species with large home ranges, such as the giant armadillo Priodontes maximus, whose occurrence in anthropogenic landscapes is poorly known despite its categorization as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. We searched and surveyed for the giant armadillo within human-modified areas in central Brazil using direct and indirect methods across a wide region dominated by diverse farming environments and scattered remnants of natural vegetation. During a 14-year period (2003–2016), we located 54 records of the species, including three road-kills and two instances of poaching. Most of the occurrence points (83%) were in native vegetation, with 17% in anthropogenic environments (pastures and roads). We confirmed the presence of the giant armadillo within a wide, intensely human-altered region. These findings indicate that Cerrado and Atlantic Forest remnants in modified landscapes in central Brazil play an important role as refuges for this armadillo species. In addition to habitat loss, road-kills and poaching persist as threats to the giant armadillo. Conservation actions are necessary to minimize human impacts and facilitate the persistence of the giant armadillo in this region. Policies that both deter illegal deforestation and strengthen incentives for the protection of natural vegetation remnants and restoration of biological corridors such as gallery forests would aid conservation of the giant armadillo in this area.

With the release of dicamba-resistant crops, it is necessary to understand how technical and environmental conditions affect the application of dicamba. This study sought to evaluate drift from dicamba applications through flat-fan nozzles, under several wind speeds in a wind tunnel. Dicamba applications were performed through two standard (XR and TT) and two air induction (AIXR and TTI) 110015 nozzles at 0.9, 2.2, 3.6 and 4.9 ms−1 wind speeds. The applications were made at 276 kPa pressure and the dicamba rate was 561 g ae ha-1. The droplet spectrum was measured using a laser diffraction system. Artificial targets were used as drift collectors, positioned in a wind tunnel from 2 to 12 m downwind from the nozzles. Drift potential was determined using a fluorescent tracer added to solutions, quantified by fluorimetry. The air induction TTI nozzle produced the lowest percentage of dicamba drift at 2.2, 3.6 and 4.9 ms−1 wind speeds at all distances. Dicamba spray drift from XR, TT and AIXR nozzles increased exponentially as wind speed increased, whereas from TTI nozzle drift increased linearly as wind speed increased. Drift did not increase linearly as the volume percentage of droplets smaller than 100 µm and wind speed increased.

Almeidaite (IMA 2013-020), ideally Pb(Mn, Y)Zn2(Ti,Fe3+)18O36(O, OH)2, from Novo Horizonte, Bahia, Brazil, occurs in association with quartz, rutile, anatase, hematite, kaolinite, muscovite, xenotime-(Y) and bastnaesite-(La). Almeidaite forms isolated, black, opaque, sub-metallic, platy crystals flattened on [0001], measuring up to 30 mm 6 30 mm 6 6 mm in size, dominated by the basal pinacoid {0001}, which is bounded by various, mostly steep, rhombohedra and the hexagonal prism {1120}. Most of the crystals are multiply twinned, with non-planar contact surfaces that are approximately parallel to the c axis. The streak is brown. Reflectance values are [(R o, R e) λ (nm)]: (12.78, 15.39) 470; (12.86, 15.43) 546; (12.91, 15.55) 589; (13.04, 15.75) 650. The empirical formula is (Pb0.59Sr0.12Ca0.04La0.03)Σ0.78(Mn0.54Y0.46)Σ1.00Zn1.43(Ti13.02Fe4.98 3+)Σ18.00(Fe0.32 3+Mn0.15)Σ0.47[O37.18(OH)0.82]Σ38.00. It is trigonal, space group R3, with the unit-cell parameters a = 10.4359(2), c = 21.0471(4) Å, V = 1985.10(7) Å3 and Z = 3. The crystal structure was solved (R 1 = 0.039) using 2110 unique reflections with I > 3σ(I). Almeidaite is a member of the crichtonite group with Pb dominant in the A site (with 12-fold coordination) and Zn dominant in the T site (with 4-fold coordination). It is a Zn analogue of senaite and a Pb analogue of landauite. The mineral is named after Professor Fernando Flávio Marques de Almeida (1916–2013).

The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors for ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) in patients who received medical attention at a public health service. Three hundred and forty-nine consecutive patients, treated in the Outpatient Eye Clinic of Hospital de Base, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo state, Brazil, were enrolled in this study. After an eye examination, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies. The results showed that 25·5% of the patients were seronegative and 74·5% were seropositive for IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies; of these 27·3% had OT and 72·7% had other ocular diseases (OOD). The presence of cats or dogs [odds ratio (OR) 2·22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·24–3·98, P = 0·009] and consumption of raw or undercooked meat (OR 1·77, 95% CI 1·05–2·98, P = 0·03) were associated with infection but not with the development of OT. Age (OT 48·2 ± 21·2 years vs. OOD: 69·5 ± 14·7 years, P < 0·0001) and the low level of schooling/literacy (OT vs. OOD: OR 0·414, 95% CI 0·2231–0·7692, P = 0·007) were associated with OT. The presence of dogs and cats as well as eating raw/undercooked meat increases the risk of infection, but is not associated with the development of OT.

The taxonomic status of the cupped oysters Crassostrea angulata and C. gigas has received considerable attention in the last decades. Based on larval shell morphology, experimental hybridization, allozymes and nuclear DNA studies several authors have considered these two taxa as being synonymous. However, mitochondrial data showed clear genetic differences between the two taxa. In addition, microsatellite-based studies and cytogenetic studies have also provided evidence that supports their differentiation. Considerable differences have also been observed at the phenotypic level in terms of growth rate and ecophysiological parameters. In the present study, C. angulata from Sado estuary (Portugal) and C. gigas from Seudre estuary (France) were collected and factorial crosses were performed. Juveniles of the different progenies were reared in Ria Formosa (Portugal) under common conditions to determine if they exhibited differences in shell shape and in pigmentation of the adductor muscle scar. Significant morphometric differences between C. angulata and C. gigas progenies were indicated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Univariate analysis of size-adjusted shell measurements revealed significant differences between the two taxa for shell depth, muscle scar height, and length of ligamental area. Both reciprocal hybrids showed intermediate morphometric characters between parental lines. In addition, significant differences were also observed between C. angulata and C. gigas progenies in terms of pigmentation of adductor muscle scar. C. angulata and both reciprocal hybrid progenies showed highly pigmented adductor muscle scars whereas in C. gigas progeny the pigmentation was lighter. The differences in shell shape and muscle scar pigmentation observed in the present study support the distinction of the two taxa.