The mechanistic origin of amber pigmentation of Perithemis tenera (Say, 1840) wings (Odonata: Libellulidae) and its function in conspecific signalling.

Animal coloration serves various signaling and non-signaling functions. In damselflies and dragonflies (Odonata), such colors may not only play photoprotective and/or thermoregulatory roles but also serve as visual signals during courtship and/or agonistic interactions. Here, we analyzed the coloration of Perithemis tenera wings, a potential secondary sexual ornament, applying spectrophotometry and visual modeling to gain a deeper understanding of their color mechanisms and functions.

Chronotype as a predictor of scholar performance in a full-time middle school.

The performance of day-to-day tasks, whether satisfactory or unsatisfactory, varies due to several environmental synchronizers, including the 24-hour light-dark cycle. For instance, human performance on physical and/or cognitive demanding activities reaches its peak during the day when the body temperature is at its circadian peak. Individual differences in the circadian peaks in temperature along with individuals' timing of sleep is referred to as chronotype.

Ontogenetic colour change of a sexual ornament in males of a damselfly: female mimicry, crypsis or both?

Female mimicry by males is a widespread phenomenon in several taxa and may be involved in aggression avoidance or facilitated access to resources. In early developmental stages, female mimicry may be a mechanism involved in signalling sexual immaturity or, when coupled with strategies related to visual camouflage, may be involved in the avoidance of male-male agonistic interactions. Here, we addressed whether the delayed colour maturation of a sexual ornament in males of Mnesarete pudica damselflies might be a case of crypsis, female mimicry or both.

Heteragrion/ gorbi/ sp. nov. (Odonata: Heteragrionidae) from southeastern Brazil.

Heteragrion gorbi sp. nov. (Zygoptera: Heteragrionidae) is described and diagnosed based on six ♂♂ and one ♀.

Final instar larva of Franciscagrion longispinum Machado amp; Bedê, 2015 (Odonata: Coenagrionidae), an endemic species from the springs of the São Francisco river.

Franciscagrion longispinum Machado Bedê larvae were collected in the São Francisco river historical springs at the Serra da Canastra National Park, Brazil. Here, we describe and illustrate the final instar larvae of this rare and endemic species.

Final instar larvae of Argia mollis Hagen in Selys, 1865 and Argia smithiana Calvert, 1909 (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) from the Brazilian Cerrado.

Recent expeditions to the Serra da Canastra and Chapada dos Guimarães National Parks in Brazil resulted in the collection of larvae of Argia mollis Hagen in Selys, 1865 and A. smithiana Calvert, 1909. Thus, here we describe the last instar larvae of these two Argia species from the Brazilian Cerrado.

Nosocomial outbreak by imipenem-resistant metallo-beta-lactamase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an adult intensive care unit in a Brazilian teaching hospital.

Objective: To describe an outbreak of imipenem-resistant metallo-beta-lactamase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa, enzyme type bla, by horizontal transmission in patients admitted to a mixed adult ICU.

Methods: A case-control study was carried out, including 47 patients (cases) and 122 patients (control) admitted to the mixed ICU of a university hospital in Minas Gerais, Brazil from November 2003 to July 2005. The infection site, risk factors, mortality, antibiotic susceptibility, metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) production, enzyme type, and clonal diversity were analyzed.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia in an adult clinical-surgical intensive care unit of a Brazilian university hospital: incidence, risk factors, etiology, and antibiotic resistance.

The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical characteristics, etiology, and resistance to antimicrobial agents, among patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). A case study vs. patients control under mechanical ventilation and hospitalized into clinical-surgical adults ICU of HC-UFU was performed from March/2005 to March/2006.

Experimental model in the qualitative and quantitative assessment of non-Helicobacter gastric microflora under proton pump inhibitors action.

Purpose: To evaluate models of gastric material collection from Wistar rats with and without using proton pump inhibitors(PPIs).

Methods: Twenty-four rats underwent intraperitoneal omeprazol treatment, and other 12 received similar treatment with 0.9% saline.