Search

Neste artigo, adotamos uma perspectiva discursiva decolonial na análise de i) trechos das entrevistas semiestruturadas com três mulheres-editoras-independentes: Constanza Brunet (Argentina), Isabelle Pivert (França) e Ivana Jinkings (Brasil); ii) três catálogos editoriais da Marea Editorial (Argentina), Éditions du Sextant (França) e Boitempo Editorial (Brasil). A partir desses corpora, que não se enquadram em uma Análise do Discurso tradicional, propomos suscitar questionamentos para uma Análise do Discurso contra-hegemônica e descentralizada. Para isso, trazemos a nossa postura em adotar as narrativas de vida como metodologia decolonial, já que, atualmente, uma abordagem que relaciona Análise do Discurso, a Interseccionalidade e a Decolonialidade podem ser ricas ferramentas para contribuir às teorias do discurso, devido ao seu dinamismo teórico, se descentralizando de hegemonias conceituais. Propomos o conceito de “edição de si”, ancorados em uma perspectiva discursiva e editorial decolonial, que acompanha uma incompletude das mulheres-editoras-independentes e de suas casas editoriais.

This study evaluated the solubility profiles of quinoa grain proteins and applied a complete process for the isolation of its main protein fractions, namely: albumins, globulins, prolamins and glutelins, which corresponded to 26.96%, 41.3%, 1.7% and 23.16% of the total protein content, respectively. When these fractions were digested with pepsin followed by pancreatin, the degrees of hydrolysis achieved varied between 26.62% (for unheated globulin fraction) and 38.97% (for unheated glutelin), with casein reached 33.73% hydrolysis. After heating, the globulin hydrolysis degree increased to 34.7%, not significantly differing from casein. These results reflect its good susceptibility to hydrolysis by digestive enzymes, and this observation is reinforced with assays with pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin tested separately. Globulins, the largest protein fraction, showed promising results in additional assays regarding the amino acid profile, with limitation only for lysine in relation to the FAO standard, and the potential for releasing bioactive peptides after digestion. Although pepsin-digested globulin inhibited only 5% of ACE activity under the conditions tested, after 24h with the addition of pancreatin, the inhibition was 100%. Antioxidant activity (DPPH assay) also indicated very similar results, when hydrolysis with pepsin was inefficient in releasing antioxidant peptides, while hydrolysis by pancreatin led to 35 times greater results.

This work addresses the development of a novel computer-aided methodology for discourse analysis of TV newscasts. A TV newscast constitutes a particular type of discourse and has become a central part of the modern-day lives of millions of people. It is important to understand how this media content works and how it affects human life. To support the study of TV newscasts under the discourse analysis perspective, this work proposes a newscast structure to recover its main units and extract relevant data, named here as newscast discursive metadata (NDM). The NDM describes aspects, such as screen time and field size of newscasts’ participants and themes addressed. Data mining and image analysis methods are used to extract and analyze the NDM of a dataset containing 41 editions of two Brazilian newscasts. The experimental results are promising, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

A estética televisiva ainda é a principal referência de reprodução da realidade social. Mesmo com o avanço das novas mídias e da web, a televisão permanece forte para grande parte da população. A TV é a mídia de referência do nosso cotidiano. Sabendo disso, torna-se necessário refletir a construção dos modelos de realidade veiculados todos os dias pelos media. No presente artigo, propomos uma reflexão de alguns conceitos que consideramos fundamentais, como Verdade, Midiatização e Acontecimento. A revisão foi feita com base nas obras de Verón, Deleuze, Queré e outros autores consagrados de diferentes campos do conhecimento como a Filosofia, a Sociologia e a Semiótica. Trata-se de conceitos de sofisticação teórica, em que percebemos mais diálogos do que discordâncias, três olhares que podem servir como operadores de análise para a reflexão das mais variadas narrativas televisuais de informação. Ao fim, propomos cinco chaves de leitura, com base nas reflexões feitas, a saber, a observação dos meios com que as narrativas almejam obter um caráter de verdade absoluta, os modos como o discurso tenta concordar com o real por meio de juízos expressos por identificações e qualificações dos seres, os aspectos indiciais das narrativas, a relação entre a dimensão verbal e a dimensão visual e a perda e o ganho de significado na formatação do acontecimento em relato.Palavras-chave: verdade, acontecimento, midiatização.

Objetivo:identificar las conductas de las personas con el trasplante renal utilizando la Técnica de los Incidentes Críticos.Método:estudio con abordaje cualitativo de tipo descriptivo empleando la Técnica de los Incidentes Críticos. Se recolectaron los datos por mediode entrevista semiestructurada y se relacionaron el perfil socioeconómico de los entrevistados y los incidentes críticos identificados.Participaron en el estudio 20 personas, diez hombres y diez mujeres.Resultados:los resultados señalaron que la ocurrencia de 141conductas, 108 positivas y 33 negativas, relacionadas al cuidado adoptado a la salud, las actividades cotidianas y la vida conel tras-plante renal.Conclusiones:la aplicación de la Técnica de los Incidentes Críticos permitió obtener datos acerca del modo como eltrasplante renal influye determinadas conductas, positiva y negativamente, en la vida de la persona.

This article addresses a multimodal approach to automatic emotion recognition in participants of TV newscasts (presenters, reporters, commentators and others) able to assist the tension levels study in narratives of events in this television genre. The methodology applies state-of-the-art computational methods to process and analyze facial expressions, as well as speech signals. The proposed approach contributes to semiodiscoursive study of TV newscasts and their enunciative praxis, assisting, for example, the identification of the communication strategy of these programs. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach was applied it in a video related to a report displayed on a Brazilian TV newscast great popularity in the state of Minas Gerais. The experimental results are promising on the recognition of emotions on the facial expressions of tele journalists and are in accordance with the distribution of audiovisual indicators extracted over a TV newscast, demonstrating the potential of the approach to support the TV journalistic discourse analysis.This article addresses a multimodal approach to automatic emotion recognition in participants of TV newscasts (presenters, reporters, commentators and others) able to assist the tension levels study in narratives of events in this television genre. The methodology applies state-of-the-art computational methods to process and analyze facial expressions, as well as speech signals. The proposed approach contributes to semiodiscoursive study of TV newscasts and their enunciative praxis, assisting, for example, the identification of the communication strategy of these programs. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach was applied it in a video related to a report displayed on a Brazilian TV newscast great popularity in the state of Minas Gerais. The experimental results are promising on the recognition of emotions on the facial expressions of tele journalists and are in accordance with the distribution of audiovisual indicators extracted over a TV newscast, demonstrating the potential of the approach to support the TV journalistic discourse analysis.

Este artigo aborda o problema de análise de níveis de tensão em telejornais, por meio do reconhecimento automático multimodal de emoções em seus participantes. Para tanto, a metodologia proposta faz uso de métodos computacionais do estado da arte para processamento e análise de expressões faciais, bem como modulações sonoras de falas. Este trabalho tem como objetivo contribuir para o estudo semiodiscursivo de telejornais e suas práxis enunciativas, auxiliando, por exemplo, na identificação das estratégias de comunicação de tais programas. Nesse contexto, apresenta-se a caracterização do problema no âmbito dos estudos da chamada análise do discurso das mídias e os métodos computacionais para o reconhecimento multimodal de emoções a partir dos conteúdos audiovisuais dos vídeos associados aos programas. Além disso, descreve alguns dos principais trabalhos relacionados, a metodologia empregada, a descrição do corpus utilizado e alguns dos resultados experimentais alcançados.

Este estudo tem por objetivo analisar a funcionalidade familiar de idosos dependentes residentes no interior da região Nordeste do Brasil. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de caráter analítico com delineamento transversal. A amostra foi composta por 117 idosos dependentes, cadastrados nas Unidades de Saúde da Família. Os instrumentos utilizados foram o Apgar de família, Índice de Barthel e o levantamento de dados sócio-demográficos e de saúde. Verificou-se que a média de idade foi 80,79 (± 9,77) anos, com predomínio do sexo feminino (70,09%) e não alfabetizados (63,25%). Os problemas de saúde estiveram presentes em 93,16% dos idosos, sendo a patologia mais freqüente a Hipertensão Arterial (23,10%). Em relação à funcionalidade familiar constatou-se que 73,50% dos idosos relataram comprometimento. O conhecimento da funcionalidade familiar é importante para o desenvolvimento de mecanismos de assistência domiciliária adequada à saúde do idoso e de sua família.

Objetivo: identificar os comportamentos das pessoas com o transplante renal empregando a Técnica dos Incidentes Críticos. Método: estudo com abordagem qualitativa do tipo descritivo utilizando a Técnica dos Incidentes Críticos. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista semiestruturada e foram relacionados o perfil socioeconômico dos entrevistados e os incidentes críticos identificados. Fizeram parte do estudo 20 pessoas, dez homens e dez mulheres. Resultados: os resultados apontaram a ocorrência de 141 comportamentos, 108 positivos e 33 negativos, relacionados ao cuidado adotado à saúde, às atividades cotidianas e à vida com o transplante renal. Conclusões: a aplicação da Técnica dos Incidentes Críticos permitiu obter dados sobre o modo como o transplante renal influencia determinados comportamentos, positiva e negativamente, na vida da pessoa. Doi: 10.5294/aqui.2016.16.1.9

A estética televisiva ainda é a principal referência de reprodução da realidade social. Mesmo com o avanço das novas mídias e da web, a televisão permanece forte para grande parte da população. A TV é a mídia de referência do nosso cotidiano. Sabendo disso, torna-se necessário refletir a construção dos modelos de realidade veiculados todos os dias pelos media. No presente artigo, propomos uma reflexão de alguns conceitos que consideramos fundamentais, como Verdade, Midiatização e Acontecimento. A revisão foi feita com base nas obras de Verón, Deleuze, Queré e outros autores consagrados de diferentes campos do conhecimento como a Filosofia, a Sociologia e a Semiótica. Trata-se de conceitos de sofisticação teórica, em que percebemos mais diálogos do que discordâncias, três olhares que podem servir como operadores de análise para a reflexão das mais variadas narrativas televisuais de informação. Ao fim, propomos cinco chaves de leitura, com base nas reflexões feitas, a saber, a observação dos meios com que as narrativas almejam obter um caráter de verdade absoluta, os modos como o discurso tenta concordar com o real por meio de juízos expressos por identificações e qualificações dos seres, os aspectos indiciais das narrativas, a relação entre a dimensão verbal e a dimensão visual e a perda e o ganho de significado na formatação do acontecimento em relato. Palavras-chave: verdade, acontecimento, midiatização.

O processo investigativo desse artigo tem a intenção de detectar pistas identitárias da juventude nas representações televisivas brasileiras. Para isso, esse trabalho analisou os conceitos de midiatização da sociedade e o de identidade nos tempos "pós-modernos". Com o auxílio da ferramenta analítica "modos de endereçamento", propomos a investigação do seriado"Descolados", na tentativa de identificar modelos de representação do jovem pelos media, especificamente a televisão, no momento atual.

An extensive and severe actinomycetoma by Nocardia asteroides, a rare etiologic agent of this infection in Brazil, observed during a 9 year follow-up is reported. Unsuitable social and financial conditions led to amputation as the only possible solution for this case, no signs of infection relapse having been observed in three years after his surgery.É relatado um caso de micetoma actinomicótico por Nocardia asteroides, raro agente desta infecção no Brasil, acompanhado ao longo de 9 anos de evolução, com lesões extensas e profundas. As precárias condições sócio-econômicas do paciente tornaram a amputação a única solução viável para este caso, não tendo sido observados sinais de reci-diva da infecção em três anos após a cirurgia.

The Mediterranean basin is the second largest global biodiversity hotspot in the world, which coexists with a plethora of anthropogenic stress. This study examines the risks that marine litter poses to Mediterranean biodiversity, using the Special Protection Area of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) "Pelagos Sanctuary" as a case study. In this paper, a new survey method and data analysis strategies to assess the impact of marine litter, including microplastics, on Mediterranean organisms, is proposed. A total of 23 species, from invertebrates to cetaceans, were analysed using two main monitoring approaches. In the first approach, the core density distribution areas of 11 megafauna species (elasmobranchs, sea turtles, seabirds, and cetaceans) and 4 invertebrate species were evaluated through an extended field survey. Simultaneously, monitoring of floating macro- and micro-litter was performed to be overlapped with the species distribution and abundance. The second monitoring approach assessed the ingestion of marine litter, microplastics and the levels of plastic additives in 10 stranded megafauna species and in 7 invertebrate and fish species. The final data processing, merging the data on biodiversity and marine litter abundance and distribution in the environment, with the data of ingested marine litter, microplastics, and plastic additives in sentinel species, allowed to: a) create risk maps for the species inhabiting the Pelagos Sanctuary, identifying critical areas for biodiversity conservation; b) identify the most exposed species to the risk of marine litter by an "exposure score"; c) to select sentinel species for pelagic environment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Marine litter, particularly microplastics, is a growing threat to the Mediterranean Sea, impacting biodiversity and ecosystem health. However, most studies conducted in the Mediterranean Sea have focused on monitoring of only specific environmental compartments, and rarely have highlighted the overall impacts affecting an area. Therefore, using a new multi-compartment monitoring approach and a standardized methodology, this study investigates the abundance, distribution, composition and impact of marine litter on beaches, surface waters, fish and mussels in a coastal area of Tuscany (Italy). Concerning beach macro litter values, significant differences were found among the three beaches analysed, with the highest amount in the Feniglia beach (mean value = 1245 items/100 m). The top items found are cotton bud sticks (32.3 %), which in the winter survey at Feniglia beach, reached a remarkable density of 1983 items/100 m. Microlitter (1-5 mm), was detected in the beach sediments with a mean abundance of 130 items/m 2 . Regarding floating macrolitter, the transect with the highest values was the Feniglia site at 3 nautical miles in autumn (1083 items/km 2 ) while for floating microlitter the highest concentration (832,683 MPs/km 2 ) was found in front of Scarlino. Of the 234 fish analysed from 5 different species, 67 contained microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract (28 %) with a mean value of 0.4 items per individual. The species with the highest occurrence was the European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) (53 %) followed by the bogue (Boops boops) (40 %). Through the application of the Marine Litter Impact Index (MLII), considering all the compartments analysed, the Feniglia area emerges as the ecosystem most impacted by marine litter (mean MLII = 3.5, high). This study highlights how a multi-compartment monitoring approach is crucial for understanding the complex interactions between land, sea, and biota., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:, (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Plastic materials contain additives such as plasticizers and flame retardants, which are not covalently bound to plastic polymers and can therefore be unintentionally released into the marine environment. This study investigated three families of compounds, phthalates (PAEs), organophosphate esters (OPEs), and non-phthalate plasticizers (NPPs) currently used as plastic additives, in 48 muscle samples of bogue (Boops boops), European hake (Merluccius merluccius), red mullet (Mullus barbatus), and European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus) sampled in the Central Adriatic and the Ligurian Seas. The additional goal of this study is to assess the potential risk to human health from fish consumption with the objective of determining whether the detected levels might potentially pose a concern. PAEs represent the majority of the plastic additives detected in the selected species, with ubiquitous distribution across the study areas, whereas for OPEs and NPPs, there is a more pronounced difference between the two study areas, suggesting that these compounds may represent different exposure levels in the two seas. Among PAEs, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) were the most abundant compounds, reaching levels up to 455 ng/g ww. OPEs were detected at higher concentrations in samples from the Ligurian Sea, and triethyl phosphate (TEP) was the most abundant compound. Among the NPPs, acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) was most frequently detected. From the results obtained, fish consumption may not pose a risk to human health (Hazard Quotient<1) but needs to be considered in future studies. Given the limited number of studies on PAEs, OPEs and NPPs in the Mediterranean Sea, further research is necessary to understand their potential bioaccumulation in marine organisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Marine litter concentration in the Mediterranean Sea is strongly influenced both by anthropogenic pressures and hydrodynamic factors that locally characterise the basin. Within the Plastic Busters MPAs (Marine Protected Areas) Interreg Mediterranean Project, a comprehensive assessment of floating macro- and microlitter in the Pelagos Sanctuary and the Tuscan Archipelago National Park was performed. An innovative multilevel experimental design has been planned ad-hoc according to a litter provisional distribution model, harmonising and implementing the current sampling methodologies. The simultaneous presence of floating macro- and microlitter items and the potential influences of environmental and anthropogenic factors affecting litter distribution have been evaluated to identify hotspot accumulation areas representing a major hazard for marine species. A total of 273 monitoring transects of floating macrolitter and 141 manta trawl samples were collected in the study areas to evaluate the abundance and composition of marine litter. High mean concentrations of floating macrolitter (399 items/km 2 ) and microplastics (259,490 items/km 2 ) have been found in the facing waters of the Gulf of La Spezia and Tuscan Archipelago National Park as well in the Genova canyon and Janua seamount area. Accordingly, strong litter inputs were identified to originate from the mainland and accumulate in coastal waters within 10-15 nautical miles. Harbours and riverine outfalls contribute significantly to plastic pollution representing the main sources of contamination as well as areas with warmer waters and weak oceanographic features that could facilitate its accumulation. The results achieved may indicate a potentially threatening trend of litter accumulation that may pose a serious risk to the Pelagos Sanctuary biodiversity and provide further indications for dealing with plastic pollution in protected areas, facilitating future management recommendations and mitigation actions in these fragile marines and coastal environments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Although the seafloor is an important sink for marine litter, its less accessible environment makes seafloor litter the least studied component. Nevertheless, detailed monitoring of its composition and spatial distribution is urgently needed to develop appropriate mitigation strategies in areas exposed to multiple anthropogenic pressures, such as the Adriatic Sea. Commercial fisheries such as bottom trawls can serve as an opportunistic platform for collecting data on seafloor litter and help researchers in addressing the lack of data through Fishing for Litter initiatives. In this study, the crews of twelve trawlers from two Italian Adriatic ports collected seafloor litter as part of their Fishing for Litter initiatives. In addition to the classical scheme, the collected litter was sorted on board into different bags, and speed, duration and geographical coordinates of each haul were recorded to allow an assessment of both densities and spatial distribution. More than 600 kg of litter was removed from the seafloor by the fishers in approximately 1 month and characterised by the researchers on the docks. Most of the found items were made of synthetic polymers and related to packaging, fisheries and aquaculture activities. Abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear and mussel nets were identified as of particular concern in the maritime compartment of Chioggia and Civitanova Marche, respectively. Three hotspots for marine litter were identified: near the Venice lagoon, in the centre of the northern basin and at greater depth in the central Adriatic. This study provides a detailed picture of the spatial distribution and composition of seafloor litter in the areas studied and highlights the importance of increased cooperation between fishermen and scientists to improve the identification of hotspots and sources while removing marine litter from the seafloor and raising awareness of the problem., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Plastic pollution has been extensively documented in the marine food web, but targeted studies focusing on the relationship between microplastic ingestion and fish trophic niches are still limited. In this study we investigated the frequency of occurrence and the abundance of micro- and mesoplastics (MMPs) in eight fish species with different feeding habits from the western Mediterranean Sea. Stable isotope analysis (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) was used to describe the trophic niche and its metrics for each species. A total of 139 plastic items were found in 98 out of the 396 fish analysed (25%). The bogue revealed the highest occurrence with 37% of individuals with MMPs in their gastrointestinal tract, followed by the European sardine (35%). We highlighted how some of the assessed trophic niche metrics seem to influence MMPs occurrence. Fish species with a wider isotopic niche and higher trophic diversity were more probable to ingest plastic particles in pelagic, benthopelagic and demersal habitats. Additionally, fish trophic habits, habitat and body condition influenced the abundance of ingested MMPs. A higher number of MMPs per individual was found in zooplanktivorous than in benthivore and piscivorous species. Similarly, our results show a higher plastic particles ingestion per individual in benthopelagic and pelagic species than in demersal species, which also resulted in lower body condition. Altogether, these results suggest that feeding habits and trophic niche descriptors can play a significant role in the ingestion of plastic particles in fish species., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Most studies examining the occurrence of plastics and microplastics in marine organisms have identified anthropogenic fibres, of natural and synthetic origin, as the most commonly occurring category. Anthropogenic fibres may have been chemically treated with additives making them more persistent and a potential threat to marine organisms. However, fibres have often been excluded from analytical data for the difficulties related to the sampling and analytical procedures, including potential overestimation of the results due to airborne contamination. This review aimed to collect and analyse all studies focusing on the interaction between anthropogenic fibres and marine organisms worldwide, highlighting critical issues that need to be overcome for the analysis fibres on marine organisms. Furthermore, emphasis was placed on the species studied in the Mediterranean Sea, which is particularly affected by this type of pollution. Overall, this review shows that fibre pollution is an underestimated threat to marine organisms and that a specific, harmonised protocol for the analysis of different anthropogenic fibres needs to be developed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Elasmobranchs are priority species for conservation due to their rapid decline determined by the unbalanced struggle between a fragile bio-ecology and strong anthropogenic impacts, such as bycatch from professional fishing. In this context, measuring species resistance to catch of poorly selective gear is of paramount importance. During June-October 2022, five experimental fishing campaigns were carried out in the Asinara Gulf (northern Sardinia) through 35 geographically and bathymetrically representative hauls of an area between 30 and 600 m in depth. Skates prevailed over sharks in the number of species, with seven and five species, respectively. We first evaluated the status of each individual with respect to stress due to the trawl's catch using a three-graded scale. We also recorded individual biometrics (total and disk length, weight and sex, and maturity for males) on board by implementing the best practices in manipulating individuals for physiological recovery and release at sea. After capture, skates resulted in generally better conditions than sharks, although deepwater species of both groups exhibited a worse state than coastal species. The estimated vitality rates also depended on the size of the individuals. This work provides standardized data on the intermingled effect of size, species type, and inhabited depth on the resistance response of some elasmobranch species against capture by trawl fishery activities.

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne Flavivirus that can affect birds, horses, and humans, and is the only zoonotic Flavivirus that has been identified in six continents. In Brazil, until 2010, there was no evidence of WNV circulation. Recently, the virus was isolated from a horse with encephalitis, and the first human cases were registered in Brazil. Despite that, there is still no information on the enzootic cycle of this virus in birds or wildlife. This study aimed to investigate whether there is evidence of WNV circulation among wild birds from Southern Brazil. For this, we used free-living wild raptors (live-trapped or rescued) as potential sentinels to investigate the presence of WNV antibodies using ELISA and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) assay. In addition, the presence of nucleic acids from Flavivirus family members was investigated. None of the birds sampled presented clinical findings compatible with WNV. Of the 200 serum samples from birds of prey belonging to 21 species, ten (5%) were positive for the presence of WNV antibodies on ELISA testing. The PRNT test did not confirm the ELISA results, but indicated that three birds had possibly been exposed to Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV). All samples were negative for Flavivirus RNA. The results presented here evince the need for permanent surveillance for emerging flaviviruses in Brazil, as well as for a contingency policy in the case of human/animal outbreaks, particularly in high-risk areas.

In the framework of the Plastic Busters MPAs project, a harmonization exercise on two methods of microplastic extraction from biological samples i.e. 15% H 2 O 2 digestion and 10% KOH digestion was carried out. The two methods were tested in four laboratories on fish gastrointestinal tracts and mussel tissues spiked with polyethylene, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate. The recovery percentage of microplastics for each method, species and polymer tested were overall similar among laboratories, and interlaboratory coefficient of variation was less than 11% for the majority of samples. Microplastic recovery rates for the two methods were similar for each sample tested, but overall mean interlaboratory recovery rate using KOH (96.67%) was higher than H 2 O 2 (88.75%) . Results validate the use of both methods for extracting microplastics from biota tissues. However, when comparing the two methods in terms of microplastic recovery rate, time consumed, technical difficulties and cost, digestion with 10% KOH is considered optimal., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The order Haemosporida is widely distributed parasitizing members of the Aves class. In birds of prey, infection with Plasmodium spp. parasites varies from an apathogenic form to a clinical syndrome. However, studies on Haemosporida in raptors from the neotropical region are scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate natural infection by Plasmodium spp., Haemoproteus spp. and Leucocytozoon spp. in free-ranging wild raptors from southern Brazil. For this, we sampled 206 individuals of 21 species: 94 live-trapped Southern Caracaras (Caracara plancus) and 112 raptors from other species that were brought to rehabilitation centers. The presence of infection was investigated using a nested-PCR for Haemosporida performed on blood samples. Overall, 56 out of 206 birds were positive for Plasmodium spp./Haemoproteus spp. Twenty-two percent (21/94) of the C. plancus samples were positive. Of the 112 wild raptors rescued, 31% (35/112) of those belonging to 15 other species tested positive. No sample was positive for Leucocytozoon spp. Herein, we demonstrated nine lineages of Haemosporidian parasites (eight Plasmodium sp. and one Haemoproteus sp.) in free-living species of Brazilian birds of prey, being six of them potential novel lineages. It suggests that information currently available on South-American haemosporidian from these birds greatly underestimate the potential lineage diversity in this region., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)