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Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: Propofol was a safe anesthetic-inducing agent, maintaining stable hemodynamic indices during anesthetic induction at the used rate.

The present study aimed to identify tick and flea species infesting captive tapirs (Tapirus terrestris and Tapirus kabomani) in the Brazilian Amazon. Ectoparasites were collected from tapirs chemically restrained in Zoo-botanical Parks, breeding facilities, conservationists and, environmental compensation areas in the states of Amapá, Amazonas, and Pará. After collection, the tick and flea specimens were placed in plastic pots containing isopropanol and identified according to dichotomous keys. Ectoparasite infestations were observed in 55% (18/33) tapirs, of which 61% (11/18) were single infestations with ticks or fleas, and 39% (7/18) were mixed infestations with different species of ticks and/or fleas. In total, 227 ticks (15 larvae, 107 nymphs, 38 females and 67 males) and 14 fleas (eight females and six males) were collected, identifying four tick species (Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto , Amblyomma naponense, Amblyomma oblongoguttatum, and Amblyomma pacae) and three flea species and/or subspecies (Ctenocephalides felis felis, Rhopalopsyllus australis australis, and Tunga penetrans). In conclusion, infestations with Ixodidae ticks and Rhopalopsyllidae, Pulicidae and Tungidae fleas were found in captive tapirs in the Brazilian Amazon, and A. cajennense s.s. was the most frequent species. Additionally, the present study reports new associations between A. pacae and R. a. australis with T. terrestris and between A. cajennense s.s. with T. kabomani.

Abstract We evaluated the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in the serum samples collected from domestic cats in Belém, Pará, Brazil. We also correlated the presence of T. gondii antibodies with environmental variables and cat-owner habits. Four-hundred and forty-seven serum samples from domestic cats were analyzed. The sera were tested using an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Among the animals analyzed, 21.92% (98/447) were seropositive. A statistically significant association was found in relation to age and serology among the animals over 1 year old (p

Due to the diffusion of smartphones equipped with GPS devices, the possibility of tracking objects has fostered studies in many fields, including trajectory prediction. Among many possible definitions for trajectory prediction, an appropriate one is the capability of predicting a destination, and, in some cases, the route to the destination, given a set of information as input, such as departure and the route already taken Regarding the usefulness, a trajectory prediction system can predict the remaining trajectory to the destination, warning the user to take a deviation, in case of traffic jam . This paper reviews the literature on trajectory prediction, providing the basic concepts, as well as the challenges that need to be addressed

ABSTRACT: The occurrence of diseases transmitted by ticks in dogs is very frequent in Brazil, among these diseases we can highlight the ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis, which are caused by Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma platys, respectively. The objective of this study was to survey the occurrence of these pathogens in blood samples from domiciled and stray dogs from the city of Belém, Pará. Two hundred and seventy six dogs were sampled for convenience, and the DNA extracted from the blood of these animals was submitted to nested-PCR for research of E. canis and A. platys. E. canis DNA was detected in 39.4% (109/276) and A. platys DNA in 23.1% (64/276) of the samples, there was a statistically significant difference between the frequency of these agents (P

ABSTRACT: The present study aimed to diagnose the natural infection of captive and free-living procyonids with Trypanosoma evansi in the states of Amapá and Pará, Brazil. From February 2012 to August 2013, whole blood samples and blood smears were obtained from 45 free-living procyonids and from nine procyonids kept in captivity in wild life refuges and zoobotanical parks in the states of Amapá and Pará. Whole blood samples were collected and kept at -20ºC for the detection of T. evansi DNA by PCR using the RoTat 1.2 forward and RoTat 1.2 reverse primers. In addition, the blood smears were processed and examined for the presence of trypomastigote forms of T. evansi. T. evansi DNA was detected in 18.52% (10/54) of the procyonids, namely, in captive crab-eating raccoons and captive and free-living coatis in Pará State. No trypomastigote forms were observed in the blood smears. DNA from T. evansi was detected in P. cancrivorus and N. nasua in Pará State, being this the first such report in P. cancrivorus.

Predicting the destination and the route that someone is likely to take is useful for various purposes, such as to prevent people from going through congested routes. Most of existing approaches to this prediction problem only consider geographic patterns within their models, although this appears to be not enough for creating a robust predictor. This paper proposes an approach to improving the task of predicting route and destination which makes use of further semantic information associated with destinations and routes, apart from location patterns. Our model does not require user's active interaction and is able to automatically identify stay points (i.e., places users visit) and type of places. We evaluated our model with real world data collected from users' smartphones and obtained promising results.

Biodiesel has been obtained from methanolysis of buriti oil. This biodiesel was added in fossil diesel in order to obtain diesel/biodiesel blends. Thermal analysis of blends were carried on 30-600oC range at rate of 10oC min.-1. Kinetic parameters such as activation energy (Ea), pre-exponential factor (A), Gibbs energy (≠G), enthalpy (≠H) and entropy (≠S) of activation were determined by using Coats–Redfern equation. The Ea, ≠H and ≠G values presented a linear increase with biodiesel amount added in blends. The heat of combustion of diesel/biodiesel blends was determined, and it was observed that the heat of combustion decreased with the addition of biodiesel in diesel/biodiesel blends.O biodiesel foi obtido a partir de metanólise de óleo de buriti. O biodiesel foi adicionado ao diesel fóssil a fim de obter misturas de biodiesel/diesel. Análises térmica das misturas foram realizadas entre 30-600°C com uma taxa de aquecimento de 10ºC min.-1. Parâmetros cinéticos como a energia de ativação (Ea), fator pré-exponencial (A), energia livre de Gibbs (≠G), entalpia (≠H) e entropia de ativação (≠S) foram determinadas usando equação de Coats-Redfern. Os valores de Ea, ≠H and ≠G apresentaram aumento linear com a quantidade de biodiesel adicionado na mistura. O calor de combustão de misturas de biodiesel/diesel foi determinada, e foi observado que o calor de combustão diminuiu com a adição de biodiesel no diesel e nas misturas de biodiesel.

Biodiesel has been obtained from methanolysis of buriti oil. This biodiesel was added in fossil diesel in order to obtain diesel/biodiesel blends. Thermal analysis of blends were carried on 30-600oC range at rate of 10oC min.-1. Kinetic parameters such as activation energy (Ea), pre-exponential factor (A), Gibbs energy (Δ≠G), enthalpy (Δ≠H) and entropy (Δ≠S) of activation were determined by using Coats–Redfern equation. The Ea, Δ≠H and Δ≠G values presented a linear increase with biodiesel amount added in blends. The heat of combustion of diesel/biodiesel blends was determined, and it was observed that the heat of combustion decreased with the addition of biodiesel in diesel/biodiesel blends.

Introduction: Propofol is an intravenous anesthetic administered as a bolus or continuous infusion during anesthetic induction and maintenance. Its pharmacokinetic characteristics include hepatic and extrahepatic metabolism with a rapid onset of action and short duration, which provides a smooth anesthetic induction without excitatory effects. Objective: To evaluate whether the isolated use of propofol in anesthetic induction in dogs changes the hemodynamic variables assessed via echocardiography. Study Design: Prospective clinical study. Animals: Twelve healthy dogs. Methods: The dogs were induced with propofol (dose/effect) at 3 mg/kg/minute, and echocardiographic evaluations were performed immediately before anesthetic induction (MB) and immediately after its interruption (MI), at the end of the supply of the anesthetic agent. Results: A significant reduction was observed between the values of the following hemodynamic variables: Ejection Fraction (EF%), which varied from 70% to 65% (p = 0.011) between moments, and the Doppler Ejection Index (DEI), which ranged from 27.1 mL/beat/m2 to 22.4 mL/beat/m2 (p = 0.044). The heart rate (HR) and the other studied hemodynamic variables showed no significant differences between the evaluated moments. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: Propofol was a safe anesthetic‐inducing agent, maintaining stable hemodynamic indices during anesthetic induction at the used rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: This study was designed to detect L. infantum infection in dogs and to evaluate the factors associated with canine visceral leishmaniasis in the maroon communities of Menino Jesus de Petimandeua and Itaboca in the municipality of Inhangapi, Pará, Brazil. Whole blood and intact skin samples were collected from 143 dogs, and a questionnaire was applied. L. infantum DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers RV1 and RV2. Collection sites were georeferenced to obtain a spatial distribution of the residences visited and infected dogs. L. infantum DNA was detected in 8.4% (12/143) of the skin samples and in 1.4% (2/143) of the blood samples. On the risk map, three clusters were observed in Itaboca and one was observed in Menino Jesus de Petimandeua. We observed that most of the inhabitants in these maroon communities live close to forested areas and do not use protection against insect vectors. The presence of canine reservoirs of L. infantum associated to environment characteristics (preserved forests and deforested areas) and habits of dog owners (living near forested areas and not using any protection against insects) may favor the transmission of L. infantum in the studied areas.