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We present a thorough analysis of the scientific production in climate change and adaptation in Brazil. We conducted a bibliometric and bibliographic review to reveal and discuss how climate change research has been carried out. We compared a broader climate change research dataset with a more specific climate adaptation research dataset, to understand the main differences and convergence points, and how science conducted from a mitigation and adaptation perspective demonstrates potential to confront the climate change challenges and drivers in Brazil. Four main clusters of investigation within climate change were detected: (1) impacts on forest and plant development, (2) land use and ecology, (3) adaptation/governance, and (4) climate/atmospheric studies. Only about 5% of the total studies on climate change address adaptation, for which three main clusters of research were identified: (1) adaptation actions and policies; (2) urban environment, vulnerability, and health and (3) food and coastal impacts. Although there are strong research trends in climate change for the Amazon Forest, there was less evidence of studies concerning climate adaptation for this and other Brazilian biomes, smaller cities, rural and traditional communities, and poorer regions. Our results shed a light on the more commonly chosen research topics, their strongest points and potential gaps and trends. This can contribute to the scientific communication and implementation of climate actions in Brazil, and a better understanding of the climate science knowledge from the perspective of a middle-income country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong convective systems characterize the tropical central-southern region of Brazil. These systems provide abundant water supply for agroindustrial activities and pose flood risks to large cities. Here, we present high-frequency (2–10 min ; inter- and intra-event) rainfall isotopic compositions (n = 90 samples) to reveal regional and local atmospheric processes controlling the isotopic variability of convective systems between 2019–2021. Inter-event rainfall weighted-average (δwgd) values were low (δ18Owgd ≤ - 10.0 ‰) due to the higher rainfall along the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model trajectories from the Amazon forest during the summer. In contrast, during autumn and spring seasons HYSPLIT model trajectories from the Atlantic Ocean and southern Brazil exhibited lower rainfall amounts, resulting in high δ18Owgd ≥ - 4.2 ‰. This strong regional δwgd pattern often masks intra-event isotopic variability. Therefore, we analyzed the vertical structure of local rainfall using reflectivity (Z) from microradar data. Variations in Z indicate that microphysical processes as raindrops fall led to changes in δ18O and deuterium excess (d -excess). Our findings establish a novel framework for evaluating the meteorological controls on the isotopic variability of convective precipitation in tropical South America, fill the gap in high-frequency studies in this region, and generate an isotopic dataset for convective model evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on transactions of edible goods among the Menkü, an indigenous group of the southern Brazilian Amazon. The distribution cycles of killed game are described as a process of sharing by which the relationships of the giver to those around him are created and redefined. In this case sharing is characterized by the co-presence of donor and recipient. Furthermore sharing is conceived as a process which defines and confirms relations of affinity and alterity. It is argued that for the Menkü sharing is a multilateral process that depends on the complementarity of the sexes and the respective life phases of those involved. Transactions are revealed as an ambivalent process, which on the one hand contributes to the creation of good group morality, while on the other hand implying obligations towards the human and non-human worlds. Based on the notion of the high value of social cohesion, the article focuses on how transactions involving consumable goods are incorporated in an egalitarian community. Unlike monetary transactions non-monetary transactions involving edible goods are revealed as allowing multiple interactions to take place with the encompassing environment of the people, ancestors and spirits of the savannah and the forest. It is argued that the distribution and consumption of the components of a 'complete meal' are considered to express successful interactions between different social spheres as a prerequisite for permanent well-being among the Menkü. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Neotropical Ichthyology is the property of Neotropical Ichthyology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Despite legal safeguards, the Yanomami community faces challenges such as unauthorized incursions by gold miners, resulting in environmental degradation, particularly from mercury. This jeopardizes the health and food security of indigenous individuals, especially due to the consumption of contaminated fish. Ethnic and racial disparities persist in indigenous healthcare, marked by troubling health indicators such as malnutrition, anemia, and infectious diseases. This cross-sectional study, conducted in October 2022 in the Yanomami Indigenous Territory in the Amazon Forest, Brazil, presented clinical, laboratory, and neurodevelopmental findings in Yanomami children chronically exposed to methylmercury. The results revealed that Yanomami children exhibited weights and heights below expectations (median Z-scores of −1.855 for weight for age and −2.7 for height for age), a high prevalence of anemia (25%), low vaccination coverage (15%), and low IQ (average 68.6). The Total Hair Mercury (Total Hg) levels ranged from 0.16 µg/g to 10.20 µg/g (mean: 3.30 µg/g; median: 3.70 µg/g). Of 117 children tested, 93 children (79.4%) had levels ≥ 2.0 µg/g (had no significant difference between sex). Among the 58 children for whom it was possible to estimate the Total Intelligence Quotient (TIQ), the average value was 68.6, ranging from 42 to 92 points (median: 69.5; standard deviation: 10.5). Additionally, the lowest score on the IQ test was associated with 5 times the risk of having high levels of mercury in their hair, 2,5 fold the risk of having an older age, and almost 8 times the risk of consuming fish, adjusting for nut consumption. Notwithstanding the study's limitations, results suggest that mercury contamination from illegal mining activities on indigenous lands may negatively impact neurodevelopment in older indigenous children, particularly those fish consumers, despite the inherent benefits of fish consumption. Addressing other socio-environmental concerns is crucial for enhancing the overall health of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurocysticercosis, a parasitic infection of the central nervous system (CNS), is a significant public health issue globally, including in Brazil. This article presents a case report of a 44-year-old male patient residing in the rural area of Roraima, the northernmost region of Brazil within the Amazon Forest. The patient, with chronic HIV infection, acquired the Taenia solium helminth, resulting in neurocysticercosis development. Remarkably, the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis was not initially apparent but emerged through meticulous analysis following a motorcycle accident. The absence of seizures, a common clinical manifestation, complicated the diagnostic process, making it an uncommon case of NCC, which may be related to co-infection. As the patient's condition progressed, multiple complications arose, requiring additional medical attention and interventions. This case underscores the immense challenges faced by healthcare teams in managing neurocysticercosis effectively. It emphasizes the critical need for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to provide optimal care for such complex cases. The study's findings underscore the importance of raising awareness and implementing improved strategies for tackling neurocysticercosis, particularly in regions where it remains a prevalent concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the period of the military dictatorship in Brazil, Amazon has become the focus through public and credit policies to privilege the interests of capital over traditional people (riverine people, fishermen, quilombolas, indigenous people), secular settled population, and other subjects (landless workers, those settled in agrarian reform projects). They are forcibly deterritorialized in this logic of integration of national and international capital in the exploration and production of commodities in this space. This paper aims to portray the recent perspective of the last two decades of territorialization process of international interest, with the inflow of large capital resources, such as mining and hydroelectric energy production. The methodology used was the case study, with interviews, documentary, and bibliography research. These enterprises, of great magnitude of socio-territorial transformations, tend to provoke a new process of deterritorialization of hundreds of families of rural workers, as in the case of those settled in agrarian reform projects, riverine people, quilombolas and indigenous people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current paper analyzes the southern frontier of the state of Pará and the northern territory of the state of Maranhão, Brazil, close to the river Turiaçu and assesses its importance for the displacement of people and goods during Portuguese colonial rule and in the post-1822 Independence years. The paper investigates the strategic and political relevance of the frontier for travel and transport, correspondence and transport of goods within the context of the Brazilian Indigenes, merchants and the Portuguese and Brazilian governments. The conflicts between inhabitants and settlers are highlighted in the essay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world today is an urban world. While rural to urban migration has contributed significantly to the increased urbanization of the globe, that process has not always been as clear and permanent as it appears. In this paper we report on the migration of smallholders to peri-urban interface ( PUI) zones in western Pará state, Brazil. We found that rural-urban migrants were constrained by their lack of marketable skills and as a consequence had few job prospects and experienced a low quality of life in the cities to which they had migrated. This led them to resettle in places at the PUI where they have the ability to supplement limited wages with more familiar subsistence activities, which reflected cultural identity and rural antecedents while enjoying a higher quality of life. The recent implementation in Brazil of a variety of conditional cash-transfer programs has added to the attractiveness of peri-urban places and contributes to a regional shift to livelihoods based on a combination of agriculture and extractivism supplemented by support from federal assistance programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Crescimento e Desenvolvimento Humano is the property of Centro de Estudos de Crescimento e Desenvolvimento do Ser Humano and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Brazilian Legal Amazon (BLA) is the largest administrative unit in Brazil. The region has undergone a series of territorial policies that have led to specific conditions of occupation of the land and particular urban environments. This plurality expresses specific physical relations with the environment and infrastructure, which require innovative methods for detecting and profiling human settlements in this region. The aim of this work is to demonstrate how angular composites of nighttime lights can be associated with specific profiles of urban infrastructure, sociodemographic parameters, and mining sites present in the BLA. We make use of sets of yearly VNP46A4 angular composites specifically associated with the narrowest ranges of observations across the year, i.e., observations right below the sensor's pathway (near-nadir range) and observations in between the oblique range (off-nadir), to identify urban typologies that expose the presence of structures such as vertical buildings, industrial sites, and areas with different income levels. Through a non-parametric evaluation of the simple difference in radiance values ranging from 2012 to 2021, followed by an ordinary least squares regression (OLS), we find that off-nadir values are persistently higher than near-nadir values except in areas where obstructing structures and particular anisotropic characteristics are present, generally changing trends of the so-called angular effect. We advocate that relational metrics can be extracted from the angular annual composites to provide additional information on the current urban structural state. By calculating the simple difference (DIF), the relative difference (REL), and the residual values of the linear regression formula estimated for the off-nadir and near-nadir composites (RES), it is possible to differentiate urban environments by their physical aspects, such as high-mid income areas, low-income settlements with different levels of density, industrial sites, and verticalized areas. Moreover, pixels that were exclusively found in one of the angular composites could be spatially associated with phenomena such as the overglow effect for the exclusive off-nadir samples and with the wetlands of the northwest portion of the Amazon Forest for the near-nadir samples. This work deepens our current understanding of how to optimize the use of the VNP46A4 angular series for monitoring human activities in the Amazon biome and provides further directions on research possibilities concerning nighttime light angular composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ambiente & Sociedade is the property of Nepam Unicamp and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A checklist of Dermaptera and Phasmatodea from Brazil is presented, from the Catalog of the Brazilian Fauna project, an online platform available at http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br, which gathers taxonomic information (valid species, distribution, synonymies, depository location, etc.) from species recorded in the country. The patterns of known type locations, biome distribution, and rate of new species descriptions in Brazil are discussed. There is a great number of lost types and few numbers of secondary types, indicating that collecting activities focused on Dermaptera and Phasmatodea followed by taxonomic treatments have not been many. The best-known biome in terms of species of Dermaptera and Phasmatodea is the Atlantic Forest, followed by the Amazon Forest. There are significantly less species recorded for the other biomes. This bias may be explained by the colonization of Brazil, which started in areas of Atlantic Forest, and the several expeditions that occurred in the Amazon region in the last century. As for the rate of new species descriptions, a steady and slow pattern of new species described through time is characteristic of Dermaptera, while large gaps of time without any new taxon followed by clusters of many described species is characteristic of Phasmatodea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rodriguésia is the property of Revista Rodriguesia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the search for new strains of edible mushrooms in the Brazilian Amazon Forest, we found Lentinula specimens different from Lentinula raphanica. These were described morphologically and evaluated phylogenetically within the Lentinula clade. The mating system was determined, and interbreeding compatibility with L. raphanica was verified. The basidiomata have a cinnamon or deep orange to fulvous brown, moist to dry pileus, occasionally with whitish scales; crowded whitish cream lamellae; and an eccentric to lateral stipe. The typical, predominant basidiospores are 4.4-7.2 µm in length. Endogenous, elongate (7.8-14 µm) basidiospores were also found in some specimens. The long spores seem rare and occasional, but nonetheless a novelty for the group. Basidia are homogeneous in size, cheilocystidia are pyriform or bulboid, and caulocystidia are long and spheropedunculate. The hyphae of the pileipellis are pigment-encrusted. The characteristics match those of Agaricus ixodes originally described from Guyana, currently a synonym of Lentinula boryana. In the phylogenetic trees, such taxon appears distinct from L. boryana and sister to L. raphanica with strong support. This unique lineage was confirmed to be reproductively isolated from sympatric L. raphanica strains. Lentinula ixodes comb. nov. is the second species of the genus reported in the Amazon Forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The project 'Tropical Biomass & Carbon' and its main product TB&C App is introduced. • TB&C App is an user-friendly tool that estimates C stored in forests of Brazil. • Model performance analysis proved reliability >95% of the TB&C App's models. • Carbon in Amazonian forests can be accurately and precisely estimated. • A dataset containing 64,000 plots with forest variables is delivered as supplement. This article introduces the Tropical Biomass & Carbon Application – the 'TB&C App', a web application available on the permanent link www.tropicalbiomass.com. The TB&C App requires as input attributes 'the smallest and largest diameters', 'number of trees ha−1', basal area ha−1, and 'parameters of the diameter (beta) distribution' describing stand structure. The App delivers outputs at two levels: (1) Stand level, including mean aboveground biomass (AGB) and carbon (AGC), in Mg ha−1, along with confidence intervals (CIs) as measures of uncertainty, and; (2) Tree level estimates, with AGB and diameter for every simulated tree. Phase 1 of the project TB&C comprises four Brazilian forest (and non-forest) formations: Campinarana, Floresta estacional, Floresta ombrofila , and Savana. This article aims to (i) describe the algorithm written for the TB&C App, and (ii) present results of Phase 1. This first phase counts on a standardized database of 1,428 trees with field-measured dry AGB, from plots across the different formations, which is the largest tree-biomass database compiled so far in Brazil. Model uncertainties were incorporated into the modeling process, allowing computation of CIs through an uncertainty approach. The total variance of residuals of AGB was also modeled, aiming at predicting CIs as a function of the quantity of AGB. An analysis of reliability of the equations implemented in the TB&C App indicates that more than 95% (n = 64,000) of the true AGB's fit into the CI outputted by the TB&C App. A comparison with other approaches in the literature shows significant agreement with previous estimates and more conservative estimates where previously-published estimates disagreed with the TB&C App. We cite as advantages of the TB&C App; (i) reliability of the outputs, (ii) a user-friendly layout, (iii) AGB and AGC estimates provided along with robust CIs, and (iv) estimates at the stand and tree levels with consistent totals. A biomass dataset containing information on 64,000 plots is also delivered as supplement of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medicinal plants have been employed as an alternative method to treat diabetes. One is Cissus sicyoides , a plant from the Amazon region (Northern Brazil), which is morphologically similar to Wedelia paludosa , a plant easily found in Southern Brazil. Thus, this study aimed to assess the potential toxicity of C. sicyoides and W. paludosa 's leaves water extracts. Through phytochemical screening, phenolic compounds and alkaloids were observed in both species and coumarins only W. paludosa 's aqueous extract. Phenolic compounds were quantified in both extracts and C. sicyoides presented 1.36 ± 0.04 mg/pyrogalic acid equivalent (PAE), whereas W. paludosa presented 3.27 ± 0.07 mg/PAE. Total antioxidant power was measured by the ferric reduction assay. Cissus sicyoides exhibited total antioxidant activity of 748.0 ± 104.5 μM and W. paludosa , 1971.5 ± 141.0 μM. Cissus sicyoides showed an inhibition rate for the alpha-glucosidases enzyme assay of 55.2 ± 1.7% and W. paludosa , 85.8 ± 9.7%. The formation of reactive oxygen species was evaluated by the DCFH-DA method, its formation being higher in W. paludosa 's water extracts than in C. sicyoides. Cell viability was evaluated by the Sulforhodamine B and MTT assays. Wedelia paludosa 's extracts' exposure presented a cell viability close to positive control starting from 2 mg/mL to 30 mg/mL, whereas C. sicyoides demonstrated statistical significant low viability at the highest concentration when compared with the negative control. Moreover, cell death mechanism was investigated, having W. paludosa 's extract indicated death by necrosis. The results suggest low toxicity for C. sicyoides ' extract and high toxicity for W. paludosa 's extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kaolin is a clay mineral with several applications, especially as filler in the paper industry. Brazil has the largest kaolin processing plant in the world located in the Amazon region. Kaolin mining activities generate high volumes of waste, resulting in additional costs and environmental impacts, and therefore, new approaches for their reduction are necessary. This work elucidates, for the first time, the technological valorization of abundant Amazon Brazilian kaolin mining waste to synthesize pure-phase zeolitic material with the antibacterial application. For the synthesis optimization, it was evaluated the influence of the type of kaolin (natural or thermally treated at 600 °C), the crystallization period (4, 6 and 24 h), the suppression of aluminum source (sodium aluminate) and the zinc ion-exchanging procedure. The materials were characterized by various techniques including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), aluminum nuclear magnetic resonance with magic-angle spinning (27Al MAS NMR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, chemical analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results reveal that it is possible to direct the synthesis to the different zeolite structure with simple thermal treatment of the raw material, obtaining crystalline Linde Type A (LTA) or sodalite (SOD) zeolites using thermally treated or natural kaolin, respectively. Under the optimized synthesis conditions, the LTA zeolite was obtained after rapid crystallization in 6 h and without commercial aluminum supplementation. The Zn-exchanged LTA zeolites containing 4 and 7 wt% of Zn were applied as antibacterial materials. They presented growth inhibition zones between 7 and 8 mm for Gram-positive bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica) while pure kaolin and LTA zeolite without Zn did not show antibacterial activity. These results offer new opportunities on the way that kaolin-mining industries manage their wastes. [Display omitted] • Pure kaolin led to obtaining pure-phase SOD-type zeolite. • Thermally treated kaolin led to obtaining pure-phase LTA-type zeolite. • The zinc-LTA exhibited activity against gram-positive bacteria (L monocytogenes and S. aureus). • The zinc-LTA exhibited activity against gram-negative bacteria (E.coli and S. choleraesuis). • The zinc-LTA exhibited growth inhibition zones between 7 and 8 mm for all studied bacteria. Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soosiulus belterrensis sp. nov. is described and illustrated from the Amazon Forest of the state of Pará, northern Brazil. Both the male and female terminalia are treated in detail, in addition to color features. With the addition of this new taxon, the diverse Neotropical genus Soosiulus Young, 1977 now comprises 28 species. The new species is the first one proposed for Soosiulus after the original generic description. It appears to be included in a complex with eleven other Soosiulus species, all of them sharing a very similar color pattern. Among the members of this putative complex, the aedeagus of S. belterrensis sp. nov. is most similar to those of S. hastatus Young, 1977 and S. ruber Young, 1977, due to the presence of a pair of conspicuous dorsoapical processes. However, in S. hastatus and S. ruber the aedeagus has also a retrorse ventroapical process originated from a lobe; both process and lobe are not present in the new species. In addition, the female sternite VII in S. hastatus and S. ruber is convex posteriorly, whereas it has a distinct median emargination in the new species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rodriguésia is the property of Revista Rodriguesia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study evaluates the effect of weather events on the aerosol particle size distribution (PSD) at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO). This research combines in situ measurements of PSD and remote sensing data of lightning density, brightness temperature, cloud top height, cloud liquid water, and rain rate and vertical velocity. Measurements were obtained by scanning mobility particle sizers (SMPSs), the new generation of GOES satellites (GOES-16), the SIPAM S-band radar and the LAP 3000 radar wind profiler recently installed at the ATTO-Campina site. The combined data allow exploring changes in PSD due to different meteorological processes. The average diurnal cycle shows a higher abundance of ultrafine particles (NUFP) in the early morning, which is coupled with relatively lower concentrations in Aitken (NAIT) and accumulation (NACC) mode particles. From the early morning to the middle of the afternoon, an inverse behavior is observed, where NUFP decreases and NAIT and NACC increase, reflecting a typical particle growth process. Composite figures show an increase of NUFP before, during and after lightning was detected by the satellite above ATTO. These findings strongly indicate a close relationship between vertical transport and deep convective clouds. Lightning density is connected to a large increase in NUFP , beginning approximately 100 min before the maximum lightning density and reaching peak values around 200 min later. In addition, the removal of NACC by convective transport was found. Both the increase in NUFP and the decrease in NACC appear in parallel with the increasing intensity of lightning activity. The NUFP increases exponentially with the thunderstorm intensity. In contrast, NAIT and NACC show a different behavior, decreasing from approximately 100 min before the maximum lightning activity and reaching a minimum at the time of maximum lightning activity. The effect of cloud top height, cloud liquid water and rain rate shows the same behavior, but with different patterns between seasons. The convective processes do not occur continually but are probably modulated by gravity waves in the range of 1 to 5 h, creating a complex mechanism of interaction with a succession of updrafts and downdrafts, clouds, and clear-sky situations. The radar wind profiler measured the vertical distribution of the vertical velocity. These profiles show that downdrafts are mainly located below 10 km, while aircraft observations during the ACRIDICON–CHUVA campaign had shown maximum concentrations of ultrafine particles mainly above 10 km. Our study opens new scientific questions to be evaluated in order to understand the intricate physical and chemical mechanisms involved in the production of new particles in Amazonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new luminescent lignicolous fungal species, Mycena cristinae sp. nov., is proposed from the Central Amazon forest. This is unique and supported by morphological evaluation along with LSU- and ITS-based phylogenetic analyses. The basidiomata have mostly fuscous olivaceous brown pileus, adnate to subdecurrent and distant lamellae, and stipe with slightly bulbous base (basal mycelium absent). It also has inamyloid and/or weakly amyloid basidiospores, ramose cheilocystidia and a pileipellis composed of an aerated tangle of slender, diverticulate hyphae forming a coralloid pellicle overlaying the hypodermium. The luminescence is evident in the basidiomata (especially the stipe) and in the mycelium on the substrate. The LSU phylogenetic trees reveal that M. cristinae is sister to M. coralliformis within the Mycenaceae clade. In the ITS trees, it forms a unique lineage grouping with undetermined Mycena taxa. Morphological data support M. cristinae as a different species compared to previously described taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Colloquium Agrariae is the property of Asociacao Prudentina de Educacao e Cultura (APEC) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Genetic variability was linked with individual responses to treatment and susceptibility to malaria by Plasmodium vivax. Polymorphisms in the CYP 2D6 gene may modulate enzyme level and activity, thereby affecting individual responses to pharmacological treatment. The aim of the study was to investigate whether or not CYP 2D6 single nucleotide polymorphisms rs1065852, rs38920-97, rs16947 and rs28371725 are unequally distributed in malaria by Plasmodium vivax individuals from the Brazilian Amazon region. The blood samples were collected from 220 unrelated Plasmodium vivax patients from five different endemic areas. Genotyping was performed using SNaPshot® and real-time polymerase chain reaction methods. In all five areas, the rs1065852 (CYP 2D6*10, C.100C > T), rs3892097 (CYP 2D6*4, 1846C > T) and rs16947 (CYP 2D6*2, C.2850G > A), as a homozygous genotype, showed the lowest frequencies. The rs28371725 (CYP 2D6*41, 2988G > A) homozygous genotype was not detected, while the allele A was found in a single patient from Macapá region. No deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were found, although a borderline p -value was observed (p = 0.048) for the SNP rs3892097 in Goianésia do Pará, Pará state. No significant associations were detected in these frequencies among the five studied areas. For the SNP rs3892097, a higher frequency was observed for the C/T heterozygous genotype in the Plácido de Castro and Macapá, Acre and Amapá states, respectively. The distribution of the CYP 2D6 alleles investigated in the different areas of the Brazilian Amazon is not homogeneous. Further investigations are necessary in order to determine which alleles might be informative to assure optimal drug dosing recommendations based on experimental pharmacogenetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that rainfall in the Amazon decreases if forest loss exceeds some threshold, but the specific value of this threshold remains uncertain. Here, we investigate the relationship between historical deforestation and rainfall at different geographical scales across the Southern Brazilian Amazon (SBA). We also assess impacts of deforestation policy scenarios on the region's agriculture. Forest loss of up to 55–60% within 28 km grid cells enhances rainfall, but further deforestation reduces rainfall precipitously. This threshold is lower at larger scales (45–50% at 56 km and 25–30% at 112 km grid cells), while rainfall decreases linearly within 224 km grid cells. Widespread deforestation results in a hydrological and economic negative-sum game, because lower rainfall and agricultural productivity at larger scales outdo local gains. Under a weak governance scenario, SBA may lose 56% of its forests by 2050. Reducing deforestation prevents agricultural losses in SBA up to US$ 1 billion annually. Deforestation in the Amazon region has suggested to influence precipitation in a non-linear way. Here, the authors show that forest loss is associated with decreasing precipitation after a scale-dependent threshold is crossed, which can cause stress on agriculture if deforestation is expanded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogens and animal pests (P&A) are a major threat to global food security as they directly affect the quantity and quality of food. The Southern Amazon, Brazil's largest domestic region for soybean, maize and cotton production, is particularly vulnerable to the outbreak of P&A due to its (sub)tropical climate and intensive farming systems. However, little is known about the spatial distribution of P&A and the related yield losses. Machine learning approaches for the automated recognition of plant diseases can help to overcome this research gap. The main objectives of this study are to (1) evaluate the performance of Convolutional Neural Networks (ConvNets) in classifying P&A, (2) map the spatial distribution of P&A in the Southern Amazon, and (3) quantify perceived yield and economic losses for the main soybean and maize P&A. The objectives were addressed by making use of data collected with the smartphone application Plantix. The core of the app's functioning is the automated recognition of plant diseases via ConvNets. Data on expected yield losses were gathered through a short survey included in an "expert" version of the application, which was distributed among agronomists. Between 2016 and 2020, Plantix users collected approximately 78,000 georeferenced P&A images in the Southern Amazon. The study results indicate a high performance of the trained ConvNets in classifying 420 different crop-disease combinations. Spatial distribution maps and expert-based yield loss estimates indicate that maize rust, bacterial stalk rot and the fall armyworm are among the most severe maize P&A, whereas soybean is mainly affected by P&A like anthracnose, downy mildew, frogeye leaf spot, stink bugs and brown spot. Perceived soybean and maize yield losses amount to 12 and 16%, respectively, resulting in annual yield losses of approximately 3.75 million tonnes for each crop and economic losses of US$2 billion for both crops together. The high level of accuracy of the trained ConvNets, when paired with widespread use from following a citizen-science approach, results in a data source that will shed new light on yield loss estimates, e.g., for the analysis of yield gaps and the development of measures to minimise them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rodriguésia is the property of Revista Rodriguesia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Rodriguésia is the property of Revista Rodriguesia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Rodriguésia is the property of Revista Rodriguesia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Brazil's Amazon deforestation is a major global and national environmental concern, and the ability to model and project both its course and the effect of different policy options depends on understanding how this process occurs at present and how it might change in the future. The present paper addresses one key factor in Amazon deforestation: land-tenure concentration in settlements. Brazil's policies for establishing and regulating settlement projects represent critical government decisions shaping the landscape in the 5 × 106 km2 Legal Amazonia region. We used remote-sensing data and information provided by the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA) to evaluate the effect of land-tenure concentration in a settlement project (Projeto de Assentamento) located in a frontier area where cattle-ranching is expanding. We identified the actors and their deforestation patterns in the Matupi settlement in the southern part of Brazil's state of Amazonas. We spatially identified actors who concentrated "lots" (the parcels of land distributed to individual settlers) in 2011 and assessed whether the concentration was done by individual landholders or by "families" (where members merged their lots and the clearing was done together). Deforestation rates (1995–2011) were estimated for each type of actor and the trajectory of deforestation in the settlement (cumulative deforestation to 1994 and annual deforestation 1995–2016) was also analyzed. Concentrators occupied 28% (9653 ha) of the settlement and 29% of the lots (152 lots) analyzed; the numbers of lots concentrated ranged from two to ten. Concentrators of two lots and non-concentrators were the predominant actor types in the settlement. The mean annual clearing per landholding for concentrators of two lots (families: 4.1 ± 2.8 ha (mean ± SD); individuals: 5.1 ± 4.6 ha) was greater than for non-concentrators (1.7 ± 1.2 ha), despite their having similar patterns of small clearings. Concentrators of three or more lots had mean annual clearing per landholding between 6.2 ± 12.2 ha and 23.9 ± 38.7 ha and, the pattern of patches cleared per year >34 ha in area was predominant. The deforestation rate per lot was higher among concentrators as compared to non-concentrators, showing that lot concentration speeds deforestation. Analysis of deforestation patterns helps to better understand the process of lot concentration by spatially identifying the predominant patterns of each type of actor. The approach used in our study could assist authorities in identifying and monitoring land-tenure concentration in settlements. Agrarian-reform policymakers need to monitor this process, since it speeds deforestation in Amazonian settlement projects, as well as undermining the social objectives of the agrarian-reform program. • Deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia is increased by land-tenure concentration. • Settlers receive 1 lot per family, but newcomers buy out the original settlers. • "Concentrators" in settlements establish ranches of 2–10 lots (56–600 ha). • In the Matupi settlement, 29% of the lots had been concentrated after 16 years. • Concentrators with ≥3 lots typically clear in patches >34 ha in area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Pensamiento Americano is the property of Corporacion Universitaria Americana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background and objective: In highly endemic areas, severe multibacillary forms of leprosy and reactional episodes are not rare in children. The objective of the present study was to describe the clinical and epidemiological aspects of leprosy reactions in children from the Brazilian Amazon. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of 34 leprosy patients aged under 15 years diagnosed at a health referral unit in northern Brazil between April 2014 and June 2015. Follow-up medical consultations were performed during multidrug therapy (MDT) and one year after the end of treatment. Participants underwent a simple neurologic examination and answered a structured questionnaire. Results: Of the 34 recruited patients, 18 (52.9%) had leprosy reactions and/or neuritis. Among these, 10 (55.6%) had reactions at diagnosis, 13 (72.2%) had reactions after MDT, and 14 (77.8%) had two or more reactional episodes. Type I reactions occurred in 14 (77.8%) cases. Complications, such as disabilities, necrotizing erythema nodosum, or Cushing's syndrome, occurred in six (33.3%) patients. The following variables showed significant associations (p ≤ 0.05) with leprosy reactions: age 8–14 years, number of doctors seen (≥3), multibacillary classification, number of skin lesions (≥10), or borderline and lepromatous clinical forms. The high frequency of type I reactions resulted in prolonged corticosteroid therapy, which may cause deficient bone maturation in childhood. Conclusion: Older age in children, consulting many physicians for diagnosis, severe clinical forms, and numerous skin lesions were positively associated with reaction development. Reactions after MDT highlight the need for continuity in healthcare of children with leprosy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenge in offering public services in less developed areas in Brazil has mobilized the government in search of new and creative approaches that can reduce major interregional disparities, including lack of access to the financial system, which is the prevailing situation on Marajó Island in the state of Pará in the Brazilian Amazon. To transform this reality, an information and communication technology (ICT)–equipped travelling bank branch installed on a boat—named Agência Barco—was designed for the purpose of meeting the financial needs of the riverine population that lives in a vast territory with low population density, marked transportation difficulties, and a limited supply of ICT. Thus, this research aims to assess the impact of this bank boat in the financial inclusion of a riverine population of Marajó Island in the state of Pará, which is the unit of analysis of this work. The research outcomes indicate that Agência Barco, via ICT, has partially managed to provide access to financial products and services that might be of interest to the riverine population of Marajó Island. However, the lack of basic financial education and context‐based issues related to the ICT infrastructure has been obstacles to the financial inclusion of this riverine population. Finally, the absence of involvement of local people in this endeavour has not stimulated dynamics of empowerment and participation that could lead to sustainable financial inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The saddled blenny Malacoctenus triangulatus is a widely distributed species of cryptobenthic reef fish that occurs from the Caribbean to southeastern Brazil, including the oceanic islands. Subtle morphological differences have been observed between populations, suggesting some degree of structuring along its distribution, especially between insular and coastal environments. In this study, we conducted phylogeographic analyses of M. triangulatus based on mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase I and cytochrome b) and nuclear (rhodopsin) genes, including sequences of M. brunoi, a closely related species endemic to the oceanic islands of southeastern Brazil. Three highly structured lineages were identified within the M. triangulatus complex: one restricted to the Caribbean province probably isolated by the Amazon barrier, and two in the Brazilian province, one in the northeastern oceanic islands (NOI) and another along the coast (including M. brunoi). This result indicates that divergent evolutionary processes have driven the evolution of the saddled benny in the Tropical Southwestern Atlantic: an ancient isolation of the NOI lineage during the Neogene and a recent ecological speciation event in the southeastern oceanic islands, which were connected to the coast during Pleistocene marine regressions. Together, these results provide insights on the evolutionary patterns and oceanographic barriers in the Western Tropical Atlantic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Self-Access Center (SAC) is intended to foster autonomy in the process of learning an additional language. Activities facilitated by students are an excellent alternative for students as they increase their teaching skills and confidence as speakers of their additional language. This qualitative study reports on the experience of two learners who led activities at the Autonomous Learning Support Base (ALSB), a SAC located at the Federal University of Pará in the Brazilian Amazon. The survey application, as well as the interviews conducted with both facilitators, encouraged them to reflect on their roles as SAC facilitators and helped them to overcome inner difficulties and insecurities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patterns of habitat selection are influenced by local productivity, resource availability, and predation risk. Species have taken millions of years to hone the macro- and micro-habitats they occupy, but these may now overlap with contemporary human threats within natural species ranges. Wattled Curassow (Crax globulosa), an endemic galliform species of the western Amazon, is threatened by both hunting and habitat loss, and is restricted to white-water floodplain forests of major Amazonian rivers. In this study conducted along the Juruá River, Amazonas, Brazil, we quantified the ranging ecology and fine-scale patterns of habitat selection of the species. We estimated the home range size of C. globulosa using conventional VHF telemetry. To estimate patterns of habitat selection, we used geo-locations of day ranges to examine the extent and intensity of use across the floodplain, which were then compared to a high-resolution flood map of the study area. We captured two females and one male, which we monitored for 13 months between September 2014 and September 2015. Average home range size was 283 ha, based on the 95% aLoCoH estimator. Wattled Curassows selected areas of prolonged flood pulses (six to eight months/year) and had a consistent tendency to be near open water, usually in close proximity to river banks and lakes, especially during the dry season. Amazonian floodplains are densely settled, and the small portions of floodplain habitat used by Wattled Curassows are both the most accessible to hunters and most vulnerable to deforestation. As a result, the geographic and ecological distribution of Wattled Curassows places them at much higher extinction risk at multiple spatial scales, highlighting the need to consider habitat preferences within their conservation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the ACRIDICON-CHUVA (Aerosol, Cloud, Precipitation, and Radiation Interactions and Dynamics of Convective Cloud Systems–Cloud Processes of the Main Precipitation Systems in Brazil: A Contribution to Cloud Resolving Modeling and to the GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement)) aircraft campaign in September 2014 over the Amazon, among other topics, aerosol effects on the development of cloud microphysical profiles during the burning season were studied. Hyperspectral remote sensing with the imaging spectrometer specMACS provided cloud microphysical information for sun-illuminated cloud sides. In order to derive profiles of phase or effective radius from cloud side observations, vertical location information is indispensable. For this purpose, spectral measurements of cloud-side-reflected radiation in the oxygen A absorption band collected by specMACS were used to determine absorption path length between cloud sides and the instrument aboard the aircraft. From these data, horizontal distance and eventually vertical height were derived. It is shown that, depending on aircraft altitude and sensor viewing direction, an unambiguous relationship of absorption and distance exists and can be used to retrieve cloud geometrical parameters. A comparison to distance and height information from stereo image analysis (using data of an independent camera) demonstrates the efficiency of the approach. Uncertainty estimates due to method, instrument and environmental factors are provided. The main sources of uncertainty are unknown in cloud absorption path contributions due to complex 3-D geometry or unknown microphysical properties, variable surface albedo and aerosol distribution. A systematic difference of 3.8 km between the stereo and spectral method is found which can be attributed to 3-D geometry effects not considered in the method's simplified cloud model. If this offset is considered, typical differences found are 1.6 km for distance and 230 m for vertical position at a typical distance around 20 km between sensor and convective cloud elements of typically 1–10 km horizontal and vertical extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We quantified the avoided deforestation impacts of environmental land registration in Brazil's Amazonian states of Mato Grosso and Pará between 2005 and 2014. We find that the program reduced deforestation on registered lands. The magnitude of the effect implies that deforestation in the two states would have been 10% higher in the absence of the program. The impacts of registration varied over time, likely due to changing suites of policies linking environmental registration to land use incentives. Our results also reveal that agriculturally suitable lands and those located in regions undergoing the most land‐use change were more likely to be registered than those in less suitable, less dynamic regions. We conclude that environmental registration is an important first step in implementing avoided deforestation policies targeting private landholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas (PAs) remain the dominant policy to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services but have been shown to have limited impact when development interests force them to locations with lower deforestation pressure. Far less known is that such interests also cause widespread tempering, reduction, or removal of protection [i.e., PA downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement (PADDD)]. We inform responses to PADDD by proposing and testing a bargaining explanation for PADDD risks and deforestation impacts. We examine recent degazettements for hydropower development and rural settlements in the state of Rondônia in the Brazilian Amazon. Results support two hypotheses: (i) ineffective PAs (i.e., those where internal deforestation was similar to nearby rates) were more likely to be degazetted and (ii) degazettement of ineffective PAs caused limited, if any, additional deforestation. We also report on cases in which ineffective portions were upgraded. Overall our results suggest that enhancing PAs' ecological impacts enhances their legal durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rates of deforestation reported by Brazil's official deforestation monitoring system have declined dramatically in the Brazilian Amazon. Much of Brazil's success in its fight against deforestation has been credited to a series of policy changes put into place between 2004 and 2008. In this research, we posit that one of these policies, the decision to use the country's official system for monitoring forest loss in the Amazon as a policing tool, has incentivized landowners to deforest in ways and places that evade Brazil's official monitoring and enforcement system. As a consequence, we a) show or b) provide several pieces of suggestive evidence that recent successes in protecting monitored forests in the Brazilian Amazon may be doing less to protect the region's forests than previously assumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We estimate deforestation and the carbon stock in 2740 (82 %) of the 3325 settlements in Brazil's Legal Amazonia region. Estimates are made both using available satellite data and a carbon map for the 'pre-modern' period (prior to 1970). We used data from Brazil's Project for Monitoring Deforestation in Amazonia updated through 2013 and from the Brazilian Biomes Deforestation Monitoring Project (PMDBBS) updated through 2010. To obtain the pre-modern and recent carbon stocks we performed an intersection between a carbon map and a map derived from settlement boundaries and deforestation data. Although the settlements analyzed occupied only 8 % of Legal Amazonia, our results indicate that these settlements contributed 17 % (160,410 km) of total clearing (forest + non-forest) in Legal Amazonia (967,003 km). This represents a clear-cutting of 41 % of the original vegetation in the settlements. Out of this total, 72 % (115,634 km) was in the 'Federal Settlement Project' (PA) category. Deforestation in settlements represents 20 % (2.6 Pg C) of the total carbon loss in Legal Amazonia (13.1 Pg C). The carbon stock in remaining vegetation represents 3.8 Pg C, or 6 % of the total remaining carbon stock in Legal Amazonia (58.6 Pg C) in the periods analyzed. The carbon reductions in settlements are caused both by the settlers and by external actors. Our findings suggest that agrarian reform policies contributed directly to carbon loss. Thus, the implementation of new settlements should consider potential carbon stock losses, especially if settlements are created in areas with high carbon stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The remote atmosphere over the Amazon can be similar to oceanic regions in terms of aerosol conditions and cloud type formations. This is especially true during the wet season. The main aerosol-related disturbances over the Amazon have both natural sources, such as dust transport from Africa, and anthropogenic sources, such as biomass burning or urban pollution. The present work considers the impacts of the latter on the microphysical properties of warm-phase clouds by analysing observations of the interactions between the Manaus pollution plume and its surroundings, as part of the GoAmazon2014/5 Experiment. The analysed period corresponds to the wet season (specifically from February to March 2014 and corresponding to the first Intensive Operating Period (IOP1) of GoAmazon2014/5). The droplet size distributions reported are in the range 1 µm ≤ D ≤ 50 µm in order to capture the processes leading up to the precipitation formation. The wet season largely presents a clean background atmosphere characterized by frequent rain showers. As such, the contrast between background clouds and those affected by the Manaus pollution can be observed and detailed. The focus is on the characteristics of the initial microphysical properties in cumulus clouds predominantly at their early stages. The pollution-affected clouds are found to have smaller effective diameters and higher droplet number concentrations. The differences range from 10 to 40% for the effective diameter and are as high as 1000% for droplet concentration for the same vertical levels. The growth rates of droplets with altitude are slower for pollution-affected clouds (2.90 compared to 5.59 µm km-1), as explained by the absence of bigger droplets at the onset of cloud development. Clouds under background conditions have higher concentrations of larger droplets (>20 µm) near the cloud base, which would contribute significantly to the growth rates through the collision-coalescence process. The overall shape of the droplet size distribution (DSD) does not appear to be predominantly determined by updraught strength, especially beyond the 20 µm range. The aerosol conditions play a major role in that case. However, the updraughts modulate the DSD concentrations and are responsible for the vertical transport of water in the cloud. The larger droplets found in background clouds are associated with weak water vapour competition and a bimodal distribution of droplet sizes in the lower levels of the cloud, which enables an earlier initiation of the collision-coalescence process. This study shows that the pollution produced by Manaus significantly affects warmphase microphysical properties of the surrounding clouds by changing the initial DSD formation. The corresponding effects on ice-phase processes and precipitation formation will be the focus of future endeavours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Costa, A.K.R.; Pereira, L.C.C.; Costa, S.F.S.; Leite, N.R; Flores-Montes, M.J., and Costa, R.M., 2016. Spatiotemporal variation in salinity during drought years in an Amazonian estuary (Taperaçu), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 48-52. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This study investigated the spatial and temporal variation in salinity in an Amazonian estuary (Taperaçu). Data were collected in the field every three months between April 2012 and March 2015. During each field campaign, CTDs were used to collect data over a 25-hour period at three fixed stations, in the upper, middle and lower estuary. Precipitation data were obtained from INMET (Brazilian Institute of Meteorology). March to May were the months of highest precipitation (around 1000-1400 mm), although 2012 and 2013 were considered to be drought years in eastern Amazonia (annual precipitation < 1800 mm). While the Taperaçu does not have any direct fluvial input, it is connected to the Caeté Estuary through the Taici creek and is connected to adjacent wetlands. Salinity varied considerably between seasons, peaking in the dry season (in particular, in December) in the lower sector of the estuary (40). During the rainy season, salinity reached values of less than 10 in the upper estuary. The drought years (2012-2013) were characterized by higher salinity in comparison with more typical years (2014-2015). These results indicate that the minor estuaries of the Amazon coast, such as the Taperaçu, may contribute to the understanding of the influence of atypical climatic periods on hydrological variables (such as salinity), and their implications for the local biological communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Conservation Biology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Amazon Forest is known all over the world for its diversity and exuberance, and for sheltering several indigenous groups and other traditional communities. There, as well as in several other countries, in traditional medical systems, weakness, fatigue and debility are seen as limiting health conditions where medicinal plants are often used in a non-specific way to improve body functions. This review brings together literature data on Ampelozizyphus amazonicus, commonly known in Brazil as "saracura-mirá" and/or "cerveja de índio", as an Amazonian adaptogen, including some contributions from the authors based on their ethnographic and laboratory experiences. Topics such as botany, chemistry, ethnopharmacological and pharmacological aspects that support the adaptogen character of this plant, as well as cultivation, market status and supply chain aspects are discussed, and the gaps to establish "saracura-mirá" as an ingredient for the pharmaceutical purposes identified. The revised data presented good scientific evidence supporting the use of this Amazonian plant as a new adaptogen. Literature data also reveal that a detailed survey on natural populations of this plant is needed, as well as agronomical studies that could furnish A. amazonicus bark as a raw material. Another important issue is the lack of developed quality control methods to assure its quality assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of usable aggregates for civil construction in Rio Branco (capital of Acre, a Federal State in the Amazon region) makes the production and use of recycled aggregates from construction and demolition waste (CDW) an alternative of great interest. In this study, a comprehensive characterization of CDW collected from 24 construction sites of six building types and three different construction phases (structures, masonry, and finishing) was carried out. The fine and coarse recycled aggregates were produced and evaluated in 10 different compositions. The aggregates' performance was evaluated in four mixtures designed for laying and coating mortars with a total replacement of conventional aggregates and a mixture designed for a C25 concrete with 50% and 100% replacement of conventional aggregates. CDW mortars showed lower densities and greater water retention, initial adhesion, and mechanical strength than conventional mortars. CDW concretes presented lower densities and greater resistance to chloride penetration than conventional concrete, with a small mechanical strength reduction. The recycled CDW aggregates proved to be technologically feasible for safe application in mortars and concrete; for this reason, it is believed that the alternative and proposed methodology is of great interest to the Amazonian construction industry, considering the high costs of raw materials and the need for defining and consolidating a sustainable development model for the Amazon region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amazon forest management plans have a variety of effects on carbon emissions, both positive and negative. All of these effects need to be quantified to assess the role of this land use in climate change. Here, we contribute to this effort by evaluating the carbon stocks in logs and timber products from an area under forest management in the southeastern portion of Acre State, Brazil. One hundred and thirty-six trees of 12 species had DBH ranging from 50.9 cm to 149.9 cm. Basic wood density ranged from 0.3 cm−3 to 0.8 g cm−3 with an average of 0.6 g cm−3. The logs had a total volume of 925.2 m3, biomass of 564 Mg, and carbon stock of 484.2 MgC. The average volumetric yield coefficient (VYC) was 52.3% and the carbon yield coefficient (CYC) was 53.2% for logs of the 12 species. The sawn-wood products had a total volume of 484.2 m3, biomass of 302.6 Mg, and carbon stock of 149.9 MgC. Contributions of the different species to the total carbon stored in sawn-wood products ranged from 2.2% to 21.0%. Means and standard deviations for carbon transferred to sawn-wood products per-species from the 1252.8-ha harvested area ranged from 0.4 ± 1.1 MgC to 2.9 ± 0.4 MgC, with the largest percentages of the total carbon stored in wood products being from Dipteryx odorata (21.0%), Apuleia leiocarpa (18.7%), and Eschweilera grandiflora (11.7%). A total of 44,783 pieces of sawn lumber (such as rafters, planks, boards, battens, beams, and small beams) was obtained from logs derived from these trees. Lumber production was highest for boards (54.6% of volume, 47.4% of carbon) and lowest for small beams (1.9% of volume, 2.3% of carbon). The conversion factor for transforming log volume into carbon stored in sawn-wood products was 16.2%. Our results also show that species that retain low amounts of carbon should be allowed to remain in the forest, thereby avoiding low sawmill yield (and consequent generation of waste) and allowing these trees to continue fulfilling environmental functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is an, often fatal, emerging zoonotic disease in the Americas caused by hantaviruses (family: Hantaviridae). In Brazil, hantavirus routine diagnosis is based on serology (IgM-ELISA) while RT-PCR is often used to confirm acute infection. A Semi-nested RT-PCR and an internally controlled RT-qPCR assays were developed for detection and quantification of four hantaviruses strains circulating in the Brazilian Amazon: Anajatuba (ANAJV) and Castelo dos Sonhos (CASV) strains of Andes virus (ANDV) species; and Rio Mamoré (RIOMV) and Laguna Negra (LNV) strains of LNV species. A consensus region in the N gene of these hantaviruses was used to design the primer sets and a hydrolysis probe. In vitro transcribed RNA was diluted in standards with known concentration. MS2 bacteriophage RNA was detected together with hantavirus RNA as an exogenous control in a duplex reaction. RT-qPCR efficiency was around 100% and the limit of detection was 0.9 copies/μL of RNA for RT-qPCR and 10 copies/μL of RNA for Semi-nested RT-PCR. There was no amplification of either negative samples or samples positive to other pathogens. To assess the protocol for clinical sensitivity, specificity and general accuracy values, both assays were used to test two groups of samples: one comprising patients with disease (n = 50) and other containing samples from healthy individuals (n = 50), according to IgM-ELISA results. A third group of samples (n = 27) infected with other pathogens were tested for specificity analysis. RT-qPCR was more sensitive than semi-nested RT-PCR, being able to detect three samples undetected by conventional RT-PCR. RT-qPCR clinical sensitivity, specificity and general accuracy values were 92.5%, 100% and 97.63%, respectively. Thus, the assays developed in this study were able to detect the four Brazilian Amazon hantaviruses with good specificity and sensitivity, and may become powerful tools in diagnostic, surveillance and research applications of these and possibly other hantaviruses. Author summary: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a serious and often fatal disease caused by viruses known as hantaviruses. These viruses are harbored by wild rodents and people can become infected through contact with infected-rodents droppings, urine or saliva. After an incubation time of 1–8 weeks, patients usually present flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue and muscle aches, although some patients may also present headaches, dizziness, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. It is only 4–10 days after initial symptoms, however, that the severe stage of disease takes place. Symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath and eventually the lungs fill with fluid which can lead to shock and death. As such, HPS should be diagnosed quickly as any delay may have great impact on patient recovery. However, given the unspecific nature of early symptoms, clinical diagnosis of HPS is difficult and laboratory assays are needed to confirm hantavirus infection as soon as possible, helping physicians to choose the most adequate treatment. In this study, we developed new laboratory assays that can help detect the virus in infected patients in early stages of disease. In addition, we showed these assays have a good performance in discriminating HPS from other similar diseases by testing not only several samples collected from both HPS patients and healthy individuals but also samples infected with other pathogens. Our results show that these assays may become important tools for rapid, sensitive and specific diagnosis of HPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brazilian Amazon forests contain a large stock of carbon that could be released into the atmosphere as a result of land use and cover change. To quantify the carbon stocks, Brazil has forest inventory plots from different sources, but they are unstandardized and not always available to the scientific community. Considering the Brazilian Amazon extension, the use of remote sensing, combined with forest inventory plots, is one of the best options to estimate forest aboveground biomass (AGB). Nevertheless, the combination of limited forest inventory data and different remote sensing products has resulted in significant differences in the spatial distribution of AGB estimates. This study evaluates the spatial coverage of AGB data (forest inventory plots, AGB maps and remote sensing products) in undisturbed forests in the Brazilian Amazon. Additionally, we analyze the interconnection between these data and AGB stakeholders producing the information. Specifically, we provide the first benchmark of the existing field plots in terms of their size, frequency, and spatial distribution. Results: We synthesized the coverage of forest inventory plots, AGB maps and airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) transects of the Brazilian Amazon. Although several extensive forest inventories have been implemented, these AGB data cover a small fraction of this region (e.g., central Amazon remains largely uncovered). Although the use of new technology such as airborne LiDAR cover a significant extension of AGB surveys, these data and forest plots represent only 1% of the entire forest area of the Brazilian Amazon. Conclusions: Considering that several institutions involved in forest inventories of the Brazilian Amazon have different goals, protocols, and time frames for forest surveys, forest inventory data of the Brazilian Amazon remain unstandardized. Research funding agencies have a very important role in establishing a clear sharing policy to make data free and open as well as in harmonizing the collection procedure. Nevertheless, the use of old and new forest inventory plots combined with airborne LiDAR data and satellite images will likely reduce the uncertainty of the AGB distribution of the Brazilian Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]