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The Vulnerable marsh deer Blastocerus dichotomus, the largest native cervid in South America, is declining throughout its range as a result of the conversion of wetlands and overhunting. Estimated densities in open wetlands of several types are 0.1–6.8 individuals per km2. We undertook the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) survey of the marsh deer to estimate the density of this species in a 113.6 km2 area under forestry management in the lower delta of the Paraná River, Argentina. During 6–8 August 2019, at a time of year when canopy cover is minimal, we surveyed marsh deer using Phantom 4 Pro UAVs along 94 transects totalling 127.8 km and 8.6 km2 (8.1% of the study area). The 5,506 photographs obtained were manually checked by us and by a group of 39 trained volunteers, following a standardized protocol. We detected a total of 58 marsh deer, giving an estimated density of 6.90 individuals per km2 (95% CI 5.26–8.54), which extrapolates to 559–908 individuals in our 113.6 km2 study area. As it has generally been assumed that marsh deer prefer open habitats, this relatively high estimate of density within a forestry plantation matrix is unexpected. We discuss the advantages of using UAVs to survey marsh deer and other related ungulates.
Subsistence hunting provides an important food source for rural populations in tropical forests but can lead to wildlife depletion. Management of wildlife resources depends on assessments of hunting sustainability. We assessed the sustainability of subsistence hunting in two Amazonian Extractive Reserves. We examined hunting data from a community-based monitoring programme conducted in 30 communities during 63 consecutive months to address temporal trends in hunting yields in terms of catch per unit of effort of all game species and the six most hunted species. We also assessed the prey profiles across different communities. Game species composition did not differ between monitored communities, and the most hunted species were Tayassu pecari, large cracids, Cuniculus paca, Mazama spp., Tapirus terrestris and Pecari tajacu. Catch per unit of effort was stable for all game species and each of the most hunted species, indicating that hunting was generally sustainable. These findings reflect the exceptionally low human population density and continuous forest cover of the study landscape, and long-term hunting sustainability and local protein acquisition will depend on maintaining these social and environmental settings. The results also show that large Sustainable Use Protected Areas can help foster sustainable game management and should thus be included in public policies.
The received wisdom on executive–legislative relations in multiparty presidential systems is that the size of the president's majority in Congress is the key factor explaining governance patterns, particularly the president's legislative success. However, in many cases presidents enjoying a nominal majority have been unable to pass legislation and have faced institutional instability. The article departs from a conventional definition of divided government and focuses on the preference incongruence between the governing coalition and the floor of Congress. It argues that the ideological distance between the floor and the coalition is a key factor explaining the president's cost of governing (which includes factors such as the distribution of cabinet portfolios and budgetary transfers to coalition partners). The article provides an empirical test with data from Brazil that find that the greater the ideological incongruence, the higher the cost of governing for the president.
To measure the impact of exposure to patients using carbapenem on the acquisition of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacilli (CR-GNB) among patients not using carbapenems.
Design:
An ecological study and a cohort study.
Setting:
Two medical surgical intensive care units (ICUs) in inner Brazil.
Participants:
Patients admitted to 2 ICUs from 2013 through 2018 to whom carbapenem was not prescribed.
Methods:
In the ecologic study, the monthly use of carbapenems (days of therapy [DOT] per 1,000 patient days) was tested for linear correlation with the 2-month moving average of incidence CR-GNB among patients to whom carbapenem was not prescribed. In the cohort study, those patients were addressed individually for risk factors (demographics, invasive interventions, use of antimicrobials) for acquisition of CR-GNB, including time at risk and the “carbapenem pressure,” described as the aggregate DOT among other ICU patients during time at risk. The analysis was performed in univariate and multivariable Poisson regression models.
Results:
The linear regression model revealed an association of total carbapenem use and incidence of CR-GNB (coefficient, 0.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02–0.06; P = .001). In the cohort model, the adjusted rate ratio (RR) for carbapenem DOT was 1.009 (95% CI, 1.001–1.018; P = .03). Other significant risk factors were mechanical ventilation and the previous use of ceftazidime (with or without avibactam).
Conclusions:
Every additional DOT of total carbapenem use increased the risk of CR-GNB acquisition by patients not using carbapenems by nearly 1%. We found evidence for a population (“herd effect”-like) impact of antimicrobial use in the ICUs.
Iridopsis panopla (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is a defoliator of eucalyptus (Myrtaceae). Iridopsis panopla pupae were collected on a commercial plantation of Eucalyptus grandis, in the locality of Ribas do Rio Pardo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. After 18 days, the hymenopteran parasitoids Brachymeria annulata (Chalcididae) and Trichospilus diatraeae (Eulophidae) emerged from the I. panopla pupae. This is the first host record of these parasitoids from this important eucalyptus pest. Biological aspects of T. diatraeae were evaluated under laboratory conditions.
Congenital transmission of Chagas disease plays an important role in endemic countries because it is not a diagnosis that is encountered frequently in prenatal care. Due to limited information regarding congenital transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi in Mexico, the present study aimed to investigate protozoan infectivity and modulation of immune responses in human placental explants infected with T. cruzi Ia Mexican strains. The Inc-5 strain showed increased infectivity and modulated IL-1β, IL-10 and TLR-4, decreasing their expression after 24 h of infection. Both strains (Inc-5 and Ninoa) stimulated the production of TNF-α and decreased IL-6 levels 96 h after infection. An important detachment of the syncytiotrophoblast caused by infection with T. cruzi was observed after 24 h of infection. In this study, ex vivo infection of human placental villi was performed to better understand interactions involving parasitic T. cruzi and human placental tissue. It was concluded that the strains of TcIa present parasitism in placental tissue, modulation of the innate immune system of the placenta, and cause intense detachment of the syncytiotrophoblast, a fact that may be more associated with abortion and premature birth events than the congenital transmission itself, justifying the low rate of this transmission mechanism by this genotype.
Knowledge about the ideal host ratio per female parasitoid reared in glass tubes is important for obtaining descendants with better biological quality. The study aimed to evaluate the reproduction of Ooencyrtus submetallicus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) females in egg densities of Euschistus heros (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) to find the most adequate relationship between parasitoids and hosts aiming at the parasitoid multiplication. The experiment was conducted with E. heros eggs at densities (parasitoid:host) of 1:3, 1:6, 1:9, 1:12, 1:15, or 1:18 with 24 hours of parasitism by O. submetallicus. The parasitoid females and the egg carton were placed in glass tubes and kept in a climate-controlled chamber. The percentage of parasitism was affected by the nonparasitised eggs. The emergence of adult parasitoids, number of parasitised eggs, number of individual parasitoids emerging per egg, the length of the parasitoids’ posterior tibiae, and the parasitoids’ longevity, life cycle, and sex ratio were not affected by the different densities of nonparasitised eggs subjected to treatments. Ooencyrtus submetallicus parasitised and developed in E. heros eggs in all evaluated densities, with 1:6 presenting the best combination of parasitoid and host.
Human–wildlife interactions (HWIs) occur in many rural African communities, with potential impacts on livelihood vulnerability. High livelihood vulnerability may force communities to employ strategies that increase the risk of negative HWIs, yet the extent to which HWIs drive or are driven by vulnerability is unclear. We hypothesized that more vulnerable households are more likely to be exposed to wildlife and experience negative interactions. To test this hypothesis, we calculated the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) of rural households in and around Quirimbas National Park (north-eastern Mozambique) and assessed whether there is a link between livelihood vulnerability and HWIs. We found a two-way association between LVI and HWIs, with more vulnerable households indeed taking greater risks and encountering wildlife when fetching water from rivers, whereas less vulnerable households tended not to employ strategies likely to increase wildlife encounters. We also observed that HWIs exert a strong effect on livelihood vulnerability, suggesting that HWIs should be included as an exposure factor in vulnerability assessments for rural households. We recommend that livelihood strategies and community vulnerability should be considered when designing HWI mitigation schemes and implementing conservation measures.
In different parts of the world, aphid populations and their natural enemies are influenced by landscapes and climate. In the Neotropical region, few long-term studies have been conducted, maintaining a gap for comprehension of the effect of meteorological variables on aphid population patterns and their parasitoids in field conditions. This study describes the general patterns of oscillation in cereal winged aphids and their parasitoids, selecting meteorological variables and evaluating their effects on these insects. Aphids exhibit two annual peaks, one in summer–fall transition and the other in winter-spring transition. For parasitoids, the highest annual peak takes place during winter and a second peak occurs in winter–spring transition. Temperature was the principal meteorological regulator of population fluctuation in winged aphids and parasitoids during the year. The favorable temperature range is not the same for aphids and parasitoids. For aphids, temperature increase resulted in population growth, with maximum positive effect at 25°C. Temperature also positively influenced parasitoid populations, but the growth was asymptotic around 20°C. Although rainfall showed no regulatory function on aphid seasonality, it influenced the final number of insects over the year. The response of aphids and parasitoids to temperature has implications for trophic compatibility and regulation of their populations. Such functions should be taken into account in predictive models.
The end-Ordovician mass extinction, linked to a major glaciation, led to deep changes in Hirnantian–Rhuddanian biotas. The Hirnantia Fauna, the first of two Hirnantian survival brachiopod-dominated communities, characterizes the lower–mid Hirnantian deposits globally, and its distribution is essential to understand how the extinction took place. In this paper, we describe, illustrate, and discuss the first macrofossiliferous Hirnantia Fauna assemblage from Belgium, occurring in the Tihange Member of the Fosses Formation at Tihange (Huy), within the Central Condroz Inlier. Six fossiliferous beds have yielded a low-diversity, brachiopod-dominated association. In addition to the brachiopods (Eostropheodonta hirnantensis, Plectothyrella crassicosta, Hirnantia sp., and Trucizetina? sp.), one trilobite (Mucronaspis sp.), four pelmatozoans (Xenocrinus sp., Cyclocharax [col.] paucicrenulatus, Conspectocrinus [col.] celticus, and Pentagonocyclicus [col.] sp.), three graptolites (Cystograptus ancestralis, Normalograptus normalis, and ?Metabolograptus sp.), together with indeterminate machaeridians and bryozoans were identified. The graptolite assemblage, from the Akidograptus ascensus-Parakidograptus acuminatus Biozone, indicates an early Rhuddanian (Silurian) age, and thus, an unexpectedly late occurrence of a typical Hirnantia Fauna. This Belgian association may represent an additional example of relict Hirnantia Fauna in the Silurian, sharing characteristics with the only other known from Rhuddanian rocks at Yewdale Beck (Lake District, England), although reworking has not been completely ruled out. The survival of these Hirnantian taxa into the Silurian might be linked to delayed post-glacial effects of rising temperature and sea-level, which may have favored the establishment of refugia in these two particular regions that were paleogeographically close during the Late Ordovician–early Silurian.
To evaluate the impact of adding food education sessions to an exercise programme on cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged and older patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), a randomised parallel-group study was performed. Glycated haemoglobin, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, fat mass (FM) and blood pressure were assessed at baseline and after 9 months. The recruitment was made in three primary healthcare centres from Vila Real, Portugal. Thirty-three patients (65⋅4 ± 5⋅9 years old) were engaged in a 9-month community-based lifestyle intervention programme: a supervised exercise programme (EX; n = 15; combined aerobic, resistance, agility/balance and flexibility exercise; three sessions per week; 75 min per session); or the same exercise programme plus concomitant food education sessions (EXFE; n = 18; 15-min lectures and dual-task strategies during exercise (answer nutrition questions while walking); 16 weeks). Significant differences between groups were identified in the evolution of BMI (P < 0.001, $\eta _{\rm p}^2 = 0{\cdot} 150$) and FM (P < 0.001, $\eta _{\rm p}^2 = 0{\cdot}130$), with best improvements observed in the EXFE group. The addition of a simple food education dietary intervention to an exercise programme improved body weight and composition, but not glycaemic control and blood pressure in middle-aged and older patients with T2D.
Green tea is a popular drink used for therapeutic purposes to mitigate the consequences of diabetes. In this study, we aimed at evaluating the potential of green tea infusion to ameliorate structural and enzymatic damages caused by hyperglycemia in the testis and epididymis of Wistar rats. For that, nondiabetic and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (negative control and diabetes control, respectively) received 0.6 mL of water by gavage. Another set of diabetic animals received 100 mg/kg of green tea infusion diluted in 0.6 mL of water/gavage (diabetes + green tea) daily. After 42 days of treatment, the testes and epididymides were removed and processed for histopathological analysis, micromineral determination, and enzymatic assays. The results showed that treatment with green tea infusion preserved the testicular and epididymal histoarchitecture, improving the seminiferous epithelium and the sperm production previously affected by diabetes. Treatment with green tea reduced tissue damages caused by this metabolic condition. Given the severity of hyperglycemia, there was no efficacy of the green tea infusion in maintaining the testosterone levels, antioxidant enzyme activity, and microminerals content. Thus, our findings indicate a protective effect of this infusion on histological parameters, with possible use as a complementary therapy for diabetes.
Angiostrongylus cantonensis is the main aetiological agent of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in humans. Several outbreaks have been documented around the world, cementing its status as an emerging global public health concern. As a result, new strategies for the diagnosis, prophylaxis and treatment of cerebral angiostrongyliasis are urgently needed. In this study, we report on the de novo assembly of the A. cantonensis transcriptome, its full functional annotation and a reconstruction of complete metabolic pathways. All results are available at AngiostrongylusDB (http://angiostrongylus.lad.pucrs.br/admin/welcome). The aim of this study was to identify the active genes and metabolic pathways involved in the mechanisms of infection and survival inside Rattus norvegicus. Among 389 metabolic mapped pathways, the blood coagulation/antithrombin pathways of heparan sulphate/heparin are highlighted. Moreover, we identified genes codified to GP63 (leishmanolysin), CALR (calreticulin), ACE (peptidyl-dipeptidase A), myoglobin and vWD (von Willebrand factor type D domain protein) involved in the infection invasion and survival of the parasite. The large dataset of functional annotations provided and the full-length transcripts identified in this research may facilitate future functional genomics studies and provides a basis for the development of new techniques for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cerebral angiostrongyliasis.
In this research communication we evaluate the impact of the addition of prebiotic components (inulin, polydextrose, and modified starch, 40 g/l) as fat substitutes on the physicochemical characteristics, probiotic survival, and sensory acceptance of probiotic (Lacticaseibacillus casei 01, 108 CFU/ml) Greek yogurts during storage (7 °C, 28 d). All formulations had probiotic counts higher than 107 CFU/ml during storage and simulated gastrointestinal conditions (SGIC). The prebiotic components increased the probiotic survival to the enteric phase of the SGIC, with inulin producing the most pronounced effect. Inulin addition resulted in products with lower pH values and consistency and higher titratable acidity during storage, with negative impact on the sensory acceptance (flavor, texture, and overall impression) at the end of the storage period. Modified starch addition impacted negatively on the acceptance of the products (appearance, flavor, texture, and overall impression). Polydextrose addition resulted in products with lower consistency, but similar sensory acceptance to the full-fat yogurt. It can be concluded that it is possible to prepare potentially synbiotic Greek yogurts by desorption technique using L. casei as probiotic culture and inulin, polydextrose or modified starch as prebiotic components, with the utilization of polydextrose being advisable.
The recently discovered massive and stockwork sulphide mineralization of Semblana-Rosa Magra and Monte Branco, situated ESE of the Neves–Corvo volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposit in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) is presented. Geological setting and tectonic model is discussed based on proxies such as palynostratigraphy and U–Pb zircon geochronology. The mineralization is found within the IPB Volcano-Sedimentary Complex (VSC) Lower sequence, which includes felsic volcanic rocks (rhyolites) with U–Pb ages in zircons of 359.6 ± 1.6 Ma, and black shales of the Neves Formation of late Strunian age. Massive sulphides are enveloped by these shales, implying that felsic volcanism, mineralization and shale sedimentation are essentially coeval. This circumstance is considered highly prospective, as it represents an important exploration vector to target VMS mineralization across the IPB, in areas where the Lower VSC sequence is present. The Upper VSC sequence, with siliciclastic and volcanogenic sedimentary rocks of middle–late Visean age, shows no massive mineralization but a late Tournaisian (350.9 ± 2.3 Ma) volcanism with disseminated sulphides was also identified. Nevertheless, stratigraphic palynological gaps were found within the Strunian and in the Tournaisian sediments, between the Lower and Upper VSC sequences, reflecting probable erosion and uplift mechanisms linked with extensional tectonics. The Semblana and Monte Branco deposits and the Rosa Magra stockwork are enclosed by tectonic sheets that dismembered the VSC sequence in a fold-and-thrust tectonic complex, characteristic of the NE Neves–Corvo region. The methodologies used allow a geological comparison between Neves–Corvo and other IPB mine regions such as Lousal–Caveira, Herrerias, Tharsis and Aznalcollar.
Selective motor inhibition is known to decline with age. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of failures at inhibitory control of adjacent finger movements while performing a repetitive finger tapping task in young, middle-aged and older adults. Potential education and sex effects were also evaluated.
Methods:
Kinematic recordings of adjacent finger movements were obtained on 107 healthy adults (ages 20–80) while they performed a modified version of the Halstead Finger Tapping Test (HTFF). Study participants were instructed to inhibit all finger movements while tapping with the index finger.
Results:
Inability to inhibit adjacent finger movements while performing the task was infrequent in young adults (2.9% of individuals between 20 and 39 years of age) but increased with age (23.3% between the ages of 40 and 59; 31.0% between ages 60 and 80). Females and males did not differ in their inability to inhibit adjacent finger movements, but individuals with a college education showed a lower frequency of failure to inhibit adjacent finger movements (10.3%) compared to those with a high school education (28.6%). These findings were statistically significant only for the dominant hand.
Conclusion:
Selective motor inhibition failures are most common in the dominant hand and occur primarily in older healthy adults while performing the modified version of the HFTT. Monitoring selective motor inhibition failures may have diagnostic significance.
The present study aimed to evaluate the inflammatory response, oxidative status and fatty acid deposition in reproductive tissues of cats supplemented with the dried microalgae Schizochytrium spp. (Thraustochytriaceae) as a DHA source. Thirty-seven cats (males, n 21; females, n 16; 11·5 (sd 0·5) months of age) were divided by sex into five groups. Treatment diets contained algae biomass at 4·0, 8·0, 12·0 or 16·0 g/kg replacing poultry fat (n-6 source). Cats were fed the respective diet for 62 d and neutered on day 58. Blood samples were collected at the beginning of the experiment (day 1), before neutering (day 58) and 4 d after surgery (day 62) for analysis of inflammation and oxidative markers. Acute-phase protein levels were altered (P < 0·01) in the postoperative period, without any treatment effect (P > 0·05). PGE2 concentrations after surgery were reduced linearly (R2 0·8706; P = 0·002) with microalgal inclusion. Blood platelet count was reduced (P = 0·001) after the surgery regardless treatment, but it was higher in the DHA group compared with control (P < 0·001). The DHA deposition (testicles, R2 0·846; ovaries, R2 0·869) and the n-6:n-3 ratio (testicles, R2 0·859; ovaries, R2 0·955) in gonads had a pattern which fitted a quadratic model. DHA from Schizochytrium spp. modifies PGE2 response after the surgery in cats. The physiological roles of the DHA in the reproduction of cats were not investigated, but its gonadal deposition after supplementation was observed.
Denture-related stomatitis caused by Candida spp. affects elderly individuals using partial/total prosthesis, provoking several discomforts including burning sensation and altered taste. Herein, we have studied 52 denture-wearing individuals (>60 years-old), attended at the dentistry clinic of UNIVALE, aiming to isolate Candida spp. directly from the stomatitis lesions and to evaluate their potential to produce virulence attributes. A low prevalence of denture-related stomatitis was reported in these patients (4/52; 7.7%). Candida albicans was isolated in the 4 selected patients, with the ability to form biofilm over a polystyrene surface and to produce aspartic protease, esterase and hemolysin. However, neither phospholipase nor caseinase activities were detected. Planktonic-growing yeasts were susceptible to amphotericin B and caspofungin, while the susceptibility to azoles (fluconazol, itraconazole and voriconazole) varied depending on either the isolate or antifungal. Relevantly, biofilm-forming C. albicans cells exhibited resistance to all studied antifungals. So, new effective drugs against resistant C. albicans isolates causing denture-related stomatitis are urgently required.
Background: The ventriculoperitoneal shunt is the main procedure used for to treat communicating hydrocephalus. Surgical site infection associated with the shunt device is the most common complication and a cause of morbidity and mortality of related to the treatment. We sought to answer 3 questions: (1) What is the risk of meningitis after ventricular shunt operations? (2) What are the risk factors for meningitis? (3) What are the main microorganisms causing meningitis? Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing ventricular shunt operations between July 2015 and June 2018 from 12 hospitals at Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Data were gathered by standardized methods defined by the CDC NHSN. Our sample size was 926, and we evaluated 26 preoperative and operative variables by univariate and multivariate analysis. Our outcome variables of interest were meningitis and hospital death. Results: In total, 71 cases of meningitis were diagnosed (risk, 7.7%; 95% CI, 6.1%–9.6%). The mortality rate among patients without infection was 10%, whereas hospital mortality of infected patients was 13% (P = .544). The 3 main risk factors for meningitis after ventricular shunt were identified by logistic regression model: age <2 years (OR, 3.20; P < .001), preoperative hospital stay >4 days (OR, 2.02; P = .007) and >1 surgical procedure, in addition to ventricular shunt (OR, 3.23; P = .043). Almost 1 of 3 of all patients was <2 years old (290, 31%). Also, 430 patients had >4 preoperative days (46%). Patients aged ≥2 years who underwent surgery 4 days after hospital admission had an increased risk of meningitis, from 4% to 6% (P = .140). If a patient <2 years old underwent surgery 4 or more days after hospital admission, the risk of meningitis increased from 9% to 18% (P = .026; Fig. 1). We built a risk index using the number of main risk factors based on a logistic regression model (0, 1, 2 or 3; Fig. 2). Conclusions:We identified 2 intrinsic risk factors for meningitis after ventricular shunt, age <2 years and multiple surgical procedures, and 1 extrinsic risk factor, the preoperative length of hospital stay.
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) is an exotic invasive plant species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest that causes changes in the environment through the release of allelopathic substances and has high fruit production. We aimed to understand the potential effects of the jackfruit on the non-volant small mammal assemblage in an area protected by law, in the municipality of Cariacica – Espírito Santo, south-eastern Brazil. We sampled the small mammals assemblage using live traps in 18 sites, eight with jackfruit and 10 without. We ordinated the assemblage and tested possible differences in species richness and abundance according to the jackfruit density. We recorded 31 species of non-volant small mammals, with 13 species endemic to the Atlantic Forest. Jackfruit species can affect both positively and negatively the studied assemblage of non-volant small mammals. For species with a frugivory habit, jackfruit has a positive effect favouring these species. On the other hand, for insectivorous species, jackfruit represents an impact inhibiting the presence of these species in an area with high jackfruit density. The results presented are the first step in understanding the effect of this invasive species on a small mammals assemblage and initiating a monitoring of these species in areas affected by jackfruits. Furthermore, management of jackfruits in this protected area is required.