Instituto Florestal

Uncertainties persist regarding the allocation of apical lymph nodes in colorectal cancer, the approaches to lymph node dissection and mesocolic excision, which may contribute to inconsistent surgical practices. The aim of this study is to assess surgeons' practices in lymph node dissection and mesocolic excision approaches and to identify areas lacking standardization. A multinational pilot survey of 22 colorectal surgeons from 6 countries was conducted during the FICARE colorectal meeting. The survey consisted of 21 Likert-scale questions on surgical practices and lymph node allocation in colorectal cancer surgery. Majority of the respondents (90.9%) recognized conceptual differences in apical lymph node stratification between right- and left-sided colon cancers, whereas D3 LND for left-sided cancer should include mesocolic tissue along the inferior mesenteric artery from its origin to the last sigmoid artery. Complete lymph node dissection requires excision of mesocolic tissue along inferior mesenteric artery for left colon cancer and superior mesenteric artery for right colon cancer according to 81.8% of respondents. At the same time, 95.5% agreed that intermediate and paracolic lymph nodes are located within a 10-cm resection margin proximally and distally from tumor, while 81.9% of respondents supported the concept of tumor-specific mesocolic excision to be sufficient enough for adequate paracolic and intermediate lymph node dissection. A multinational snapshot showed an existing contraindication in surgeons' perception of lymph node stratification and the variability in mesocolic excision and LND. Further Delphi consensus is needed to prove the suggested concepts.

Traditional agricultural systems are rooted in the local management, selection, and conservation of agrobiodiversity. Understanding the socioecological dynamics that sustain these systems is essential for developing sustainable practices that ensure food security and sovereignty in the territories of traditional and Indigenous peoples. This study assessed the role of seed exchange networks in on-farm agrobiodiversity conservation in quilombola communities in Brazil that face environmental and political threats. We emphasize the role of socioecological networks and socio-agronomic variables in shaping how agrobiodiversity is maintained, shared, and regenerated across time and space. We conducted semi-structured interviews, free listing, participant observation, and guided tours with 48 agrobiodiversity management units (AMUs) from five communities, documenting socio-agronomic variables and ethnovariety richness with botanical identification in the field and literature. We recorded all ethnovarieties shared among internal AMUS - living in the quilombola communities, and external AMUs - outside the territory. We then sorted 15 ethnovarieties per internal AMUs to collect data on seed exchange interactions. Further, we registered data on socio-agronomic variables, ethnovarieties richness, and seed flows (donation and reception) to analyse the properties of AMUs (nodes in the network) and seed exchange patterns in the network, and assess their potential for conserving agrobiodiversity. We documented a total of 359 ethnovarieties. The complete and open network was formed by 185 AMUs - 48 internal and 137 external - which realized 424 events of seed exchanges. Agro-environmental diversity, cultivated area, and the period living in the community were positively associated with AMUs' richness and its centrality in the network, highlighting their role as agrobiodiversity guardians and network bridges. The seed exchange network displayed low nestedness, low connectance, and high modularity, indicating the formation of cohesive subgroups of AMUs with strong exchanges among specific partners and limited intergroup seed flows. These findings reflect social segregation and reveal vulnerabilities, as varieties unevenly distributed across modules may not circulate widely, reducing agrobiodiversity resilience. We argue that historical and material conditions are critical for sustaining on-farm agrobiodiversity conservation in quilombola territories. Land tenure security and territorial rights are essential for maintaining traditional agroecosystems that integrate ecological knowledge, cultural heritage, and biodiversity management. Strengthening seed exchange connectivity, fostering collaboration across groups - from inside and outside territories - are urgent actions to enhance resilience, safeguard traditional knowledge, and ensure long-term biocultural justice.

O objetivo geral do presente estudo é analisar o estágio atual e as perspectivas de produção da cultura do cacau (Theobroma cacao L.) no município de Paragominas-PA, tendo como objetivos específicos: a) Traçar um panorama multidimensional do desenvolvimento da cultura no município; b) descrever aspectos produtivos e mercadológicos do cacau, a partir do estudo de caso de uma propriedade rural. A pesquisa foi conduzida em Paragominas, Pará, na porção oriental da Amazônia brasileira, tendo como estudo de caso o Sitio Hope, propriedade referência na produção de cacau no município. Diferentes ferramentas foram usadas para atender aos objetivos da pesquisa, intercalando métodos de coleta de dados primários (i.e., entrevistas semiestruturadas, levantamentos agronômicos) e fontes secundárias (i.e., relatórios, notas técnicas) obtidas de parceiros e repositórios oficiais de dados agropecuários. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que: a) existe no município produção incipiente de Cacau e estruturação de arranjo local de atores em torno da cultura; b) o Cacau vem sendo implantado em diferentes trajetórias tecnológicas, mas pela precocidade da atividade faltam ainda estudos mais precisos sobre a performance multidimensional desses sistemas. Nesse contexto, diferentes elementos de ordem produtiva, mercadológica e institucional necessitam ser trabalhados para consolidar e otimizar a produção de cacau em Paragominas.

Burckhardtiana gen. nov. (Liviidae: Euphyllurinae) and three constituent Brazilian species, viz. B. apollo sp. nov., B. athena sp. nov and B. zeus sp. nov., are described and illustrated. Keys are provided for the identification of adults and immatures. The relationships to other members of Euphyllurinae, a subfamily previously unknown from the Americas, are discussed. The new species develop on Roupala montana (Proteaceae). This family is an unusual psyllid host (for 5 spp. in Australia and 2 spp. in South Africa).

Two new species of the Neotropical jumping plant-louse genus Mitrapsylla Crawford (Hemiptera: Psylloidea: Psyllidae: Ciriacreminae) are described from the highlands of the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast Region of Brazil. Both species are associated with Chamaecrista (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) and represent the first records of Psylloidea from this plant genus. Chamaecrista, especially its section Absus, has many species endemic to the Cerrado and Caatinga biomes in eastern Brazil. They are characterised by the presence of glandular trichomes that produce sticky secretion that hinders insect mobility and herbivory. Mitrapsylla burckhardtiella sp. nov. is unique within Mitrapsylla because of the long legs and rostrum in the adults and immatures, as well as the details of the tarsus, arolium and claws, the ventral position of the anus, the reduced sectasetae on the caudal plate and the presence of numerous long and thick capitate setae on dorsal sclerites and tubercles in the immatures. These character states are interpreted here as adaptations to living on young leaflets and stems of inflorescences of the densely hairy host plant Chamaecrista ursina, which may help to minimise contact with sticky exudates and camouflage the immatures on the surface of the host plant. In contrast, Mitrapsylla danieli sp. nov. associated with the sparsely haired Chamaecrista hedysaroides lacks these adaptations, and the morphology of adults and immatures is more similar to other Mitrapsylla spp. with non-sticky hosts. The phylogenetic relationships and systematic placement of the two new species within Mitrapsylla and other South American Ciriacreminae are also discussed on the basis of a phylogenetic analysis of the DNA sequences of the mitochondrial COI and cytb gene fragments, which we provide for the first time for four species of Mitrapsylla and two species of Queiroziella Burckhardt. As far as is known, M. burckhardtiella sp. nov. and M. danieli sp. nov. have a limited distribution in the highly diverse but threatened habitats of the Brazilian Cerrado and Campo Rupestre and may be of conservation importance, requiring further study.

O continuum ecológico de Paranapiacaba é uma das áreas mais conservadas da Floresta Atlântica no Brasil, pois resguarda mais de 575.000 ha de áreas protegidas, entre elas o Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira – PETAR. No período de janeiro/2012 a fevereiro/2013 foram realizados levantamentos em quatro áreas nos arredores do PETAR, para caracterizar e avaliar o grau de preservação da vegetação existente, além do mapeamento da cobertura vegetal, visando sua incorporação ao parque ou a criação de novas UCs. Assim na flora arbórea das áreas estudadas foram levantadas 384 espécies, de 67 famílias e 172 gêneros. As famílias mais ricas em espécies foram Myrtaceae com 82 espécies, Fabaceae (37), Lauraceae (32), Melastomataceae (20), Rubiaceae (19), Euphorbiaceae e Sapindaceae (10 espécies cada). Os gêneros com maior riqueza foram Eugenia com 30 espécies, Myrcia (27), Ocotea (15), Miconia (10), Inga (nove espécies), Leandra e Myrceugenia (oito espécies cada), Monteverdia (sete espécies), Solanum e Symplocos (seis espécies cada). Foram identificadas 33 espécies ameaçadas de extinção, sendo Myrtaceae, com 12 espécies, a família com maior número de espécies ameaçadas. O mapeamento da vegetação mostrou o predomínio da Floresta Ombrófila Densa Montana representando 93,06% (18.364,56 ha), além de ocorrer de forma restrita a Floresta Ombrófila Densa Altomontana e Floresta Ombrófila Mista. Este trabalho levantou também 93 espécies que não haviam sido registradas anteriormente no PETAR. Tais resultados mostram a importância dessas áreas, não só pela riqueza de espécies, mas também por formarem corredores ecológicos naturais na zona de amortecimento do PETAR, o que requer atenção e esforços para a sua proteção.

Junction temperature is a critical parameter for the reliability of power modules, especially with the advancement of more powerful and efficient converters. This article compares different methods for its determination: direct methods, such as infrared thermography and optical fiber sensors; indirect methods, based on thermosensitive electrical parameters (TSEPs) and the NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) thermistor; and analytical approaches through electrothermal simulations. The experimental results demonstrated a low discrepancy among the junction temperature estimation techniques. For direct measurement methods, the error obtained was approximately 1.72%. In the case of indirect measurements using the NTC thermistor, a maximum error of 2.53 % was observed in comparison with thermography. In the electrothermal simulation, considering a range of possible values for the thermal resistance of the heat sink, it was verified that the actual value lies within this interval when comparing the results obtained with the sensor method to estimate the average junction temperature of the IGBT. Regarding the TSEP method, it was found that the collector-emitter voltage (<tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$V_{C E}$</tex>) measurement circuit exhibits high accuracy, with errors close to 2%. However, for estimating the junction temperature of the IGBT, the results indicated that the tested module requires a new characterization due to its aging.