Patterns of Vertebrate Diversity and Protection in Brazil.

Most conservation decisions take place at national or finer spatial scales. Providing useful information at such decision-making scales is essential for guiding the practice of conservation. Brazil is one of the world's megadiverse countries, and consequently decisions about conservation in the country have a disproportionate impact on the survival of global biodiversity.

Plant-hummingbird interactions and temporal nectar availability in a restinga from Brazil.

Hummingbirds are the most important and specialized group of pollinating birds in the Neotropics and their interactions with plants are key components to many communities. In the present study we identified the assemblage of plants visited by hummingbirds and investigated the temporal availability of floral resources in an area of restinga, sandy plain coastal vegetation associated with the Atlantic forest, in Southeastern Brazil. We recorded flower and nectar features, flowering phenology and interactions between plants and hummingbirds and estimated the amount of calories produced per hectare from June 2005 to August 2006.

Reproductive phenology and sharing of floral resource among hummingbirds (Trochilidae) in inflorescences of Dahlstedtia pinnata (Benth.) Malme. (Fabaceae) in the Atlantic forest.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reproductive phenology and sharing of floral resource (nectar) of Dahlstedtia pinnata (Benth.) Malme. (Fabaceae), endemic of Atlantic forest, among hummingbirds.

Nests, eggs, and nestlings of the Restinga Antwren Formicivora littoralis (Aves: Thamnophilidae).

We describe the nest, eggs, and nestlings of the Restinga Antwren (Formicivora littoralis), an endangered bird of Restinga ecosystem (sandy coastal plain vegetation) that is endemic to Rio de Janeiro state. Twelve nests were found at the edges of trails or natural gaps at Massambaba Restinga region, in different supporting plants and heights from the ground (X ± SD 1.27 ± 0.

Using water-soluble chitosan for flavour microencapsulation in food industry.

The aim of this work is to investigate the possibility of producing flavour microparticles, by means of water-soluble chitosan, considering all the advantages of this natural polymer (non-toxic, biocompatibility, biodegradability, anticholesterolemic), with or without a crosslinking agent (tripolyphosphate (TPP)). The microparticles were prepared by spray drying and characterized by their particle size, surface morphology and zeta potential. Structural analysis of the surface of the particles was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Sex determination in Turdus amaurochalinus (Passeriformes: Muscicapidae): morphometrical analysis supported by CHD gene.

Sex determination is important for conservation and population studies, particularly for reproduction programs of threatened species and behavioural ecology. Turdus amaurochalinus, Creamy-bellied Thrush, only exhibits sexual dimorphism during the breeding season, when males are considered to show intense yellow bills, and females and immature males show dark brown bills. The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine the sex of individuals using genetic techniques, and 2) to test the hypothesis that sex dimorphism can be detected by morphometry.

Iris colour as an indicator of age feature in female Brazilian tanagers (Passeriformes: Emberizidae) confirmed by a molecular sexing technique.

The Brazilian tanager, Ramphocelus bresilius is an endemic species from Brazil that is sexually dimorphic in adult plumage. Young males are similar to adult and young females until their second year. Adults and young females are not distinguishable in plumage.

Potential role of frugivorous birds (Passeriformes) on seed dispersal of six plant species in a restinga habitat, southeastern Brazil.

Restingas are considered stressful habitats associated with the Brazilian Atlantic forest, and their ecological interactions are poorly known. The goal of the present study was to determine the potential role of frugivorous birds as seed dispersers in a restinga habitat. Data were collected in Parque Nacional da Restinga de Jurubatiba, southeastern Brazil, where the main physiognomy (Open Clusia Formation) is characterized by the presence of patches of vegetation covering 20 to 48 % of the sandy soil and reaching a height of 5 m.

HIV type 1 subtype C and CB Pol recombinants prevail at the cities with the highest AIDS prevalence rate in Brazil.

HIV-1 B is predominant in Brazil, but HIV-1 C has increasingly been reported in the south of the country. However, many samples clustering with clade C are actually a recombinant, with a small B segment at RT (CRF31). Samples (209) from the three cities with the highest aids prevalence rate are analyzed.

Paulista Registry of glomerulonephritis: 5-year data report.

Background: The Paulista Registry of Glomerulopathies was created in May 1999 and comprises several centres of São Paulo, the most populous Brazilian State, that concentrates people from all regions of the country who look for health care.

Methods: This report includes data from 2086 patients from Brazil submitted to renal biopsy due to the presumed diagnosis of glomerular diseases, registered prospectively since May 1999 until January 2005. Data were collected by the integrants of the 11 centres involved, utilizing a standardized questionnaire.

3-Hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-2(5H)-furanone levels in fortified Madeira wines: relationship to sugar content.

The maturation of Madeira wines usually involves exposure to relatively high temperatures and humidity levels >70%, which affect the aroma and flavor composition and lead to the formation of the typical and characteristic bouquet of these wines. To estimate the levels of sotolon [3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-2(5H)-furanone] and their behavior over time, 86 aged Madeira wines samples (1-25 years old), with different sugar concentrations, respectively, 90 g L(-)(1) for Boal, 110 g L(-)(1) for Malvazia, 25 g L(-)(1) for Sercial, and 65 g L(-)(1) for Verdelho varieties, were analyzed. Isolation was performed by liquid-liquid extraction with dichloromethane followed by chromatographic analysis by GC-MS.

Seed protein variation among pepper (Capsicum sp.) genotypes revealed by MALDI-TOF analysis.

A method for seed proteome analysis using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry is described. The data were used to estimate the genetic diversity degree among twelve genotypes of pepper (Capsicum). The resulting spectra were converted into a binary matrix consisting of 23 protein data sets, and genetic similarity values were calculated with the FreeTree software and Jaccard's coefficient of similarity.

Relationships in subtribe Diocleinae (Leguminosae; Papilionoideae) inferred from internal transcribed spacer sequences from nuclear ribosomal DNA.

The complete sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS/5.8S) were determined for species belonging to six genera from the subtribe Diocleinae as well as for the anomalous genera Calopogonium and Pachyrhizus. Phylogenetic trees constructed by distance matrix, maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood methods showed that Calopogonium and Pachyrhizus were outside the clade Diocleinae (Canavalia, Camptosema, Cratylia, Dioclea, Cymbosema, and Galactia).

Expression and purification of the recombinant ConBr (Canavalia brasiliensis lectin) produced in Escherichia coli cells.

ConBr, a D-glucose/D-mannose-specific lectin from Canavalia brasiliensis seeds, was produced in Escherichia coli from a (c)DNA clone subcloned to pET15b expression vector. The recombinant lectin (rConBr) was purified by one-step immobilized metal-affinity chromatography using an amino-terminal hexahistidine tag. By SDS-PAGE and Western blot, rConBr was highly pure with an apparent molecular mass of 37 kDa.