The end of an entire biome? World's largest wetland, the Pantanal, is menaced by the Hidrovia project which is uncertain to sustainably support large-scale navigation.

The resurgent navigation project known as the Hidrovia Paraguay-Paraná threatens the integrity of the Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, which is considered a biome of its own. Intensive barge navigation is intended to transport crops (soybean, sugar, corn) and cement, iron and manganese from areas of production in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia to the oceanic ports of the Plata River. This short communication assembles the information available on the potential impacts of the planned deepening of the natural channel of the Paraguay River in its ~700 km-long upper section.

Bait attractiveness changes community metrics in dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae).

Species relative abundance (SRA) is an essential attribute of biotic communities, which can provide an accurate description of community structure. However, the sampling method used may have a direct influence on SRA quantification, since the use of attractants (e.g.

Climate change negative effects on the Neotropical fishery resources may be exacerbated by hydroelectric dams.

Climate change is now recognized as a reality and along with human pressures such as river fragmentation by dams, amplifies the threats to freshwater ecosystems and their biodiversity. In the Brazilian portion of the Upper Paraguay River Basin (UPRB) that encompasses the Pantanal, one of the largest tropical wetlands in the world, in addition to the high biodiversity found there, fisheries are an important ecosystem service mostly supported by migratory fishes. We estimated the current range of migratory fish of commercial interest, also assessing the climate change effects predicted on the distribution patterns.

Physicochemical characteristics of calcined MnFeO solid nanospheres and their catalytic activity to oxidize para-nitrophenol with peroxymonosulfate and n-C asphaltenes with air.

Manganese ferrite solid nanospheres (MSNs) were prepared by a solvothermal method and calcined at various temperatures up to 500 °C. Their surface area, morphology, particle size, weight change during calcination, surface coordination number of metal ions, oxidation state, crystal structure, crystallite size, and magnetic properties were studied. The MSNs were used as catalysts to activate potassium peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the oxidative degradation of para-nitrophenol (PNP) from water and for the oxidation of n-C asphaltenes in flowing air at atmospheric (0.

The sensitivity of Demodex canis (Acari: Demodicidae) to the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia - an in vitro study.

The essential oil of the Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden & Betche) (tea tree oil) has been effective in previous studies, in the treatment of infestation by Demodex mites in humans. The present study aimed at evaluating the in vitro acaricidal effect of this herbal medicine on Demodex canis. For the parasitological examination, samples were collected from a dog's skin and examined using optical microscopy.

Ectoparasites of small mammals in a fragmented area of the southern Amazonia: interaction networks and correlations with seasonality and host sex.

The present work aimed to analyze the ectoparasite-host interaction network and possible differences of this interaction related to two seasonal periods and host sex. During November 2016 and July 2017, non-flying small mammals were captured in 17 forest fragments located in the southern portion of the Amazon biome. We captured 96 individuals belonging to 10 host species that were parasitized with a total of 3668 ectoparasites.

Removal of Phenolic Compounds from Water Using Copper Ferrite Nanosphere Composites as Fenton Catalysts.

Copper ferrites containing Cu ions can be highly active heterogeneous Fenton catalysts due to synergic effects between Fe and Cu ions. Therefore, a method of copper ferrite nanosphere (CFNS) synthesis was selected that also permits the formation of cuprite, obtaining a CFNS composite that was subsequently calcined up to 400 °C. Composites were tested as Fenton catalysts in the mineralization of phenol (PHE), -nitrophenol (PNP) and -aminophenol (PAP).

Hemoglobin becomes electroactive upon interaction with surface-protected Au nanoparticles.

In this work, we report on the electrochemical behavior of bioconjugates prepared with gold nanoparticles (AuNP) capped with three different molecular layers (citrate anions, 6-mercaptopurine and ω-mercaptoundecanoic acid) and the protein hemoglobin (Hb). Freshly formed bioconjugates are deposited on a glassy carbon electrode and assayed for electroactivity. A pair of redox peaks with formal potential at -0.

Hemoglobin bioconjugates with surface-protected gold nanoparticles in aqueous media: The stability depends on solution pH and protein properties.

The identification of the factors that dictate the formation and physicochemical properties of protein-nanomaterial bioconjugates are important to understand their behavior in biological systems. The present work deals with the formation and characterization of bioconjugates made of the protein hemoglobin (Hb) and gold nanoparticles (AuNP) capped with three different molecular layers (citrate anions (c), 6-mercaptopurine (MP) and ω-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA)). The main focus is on the behavior of the bioconjugates in aqueous buffered solutions in a wide pH range.