We study a contact process (CP) with two species that interact in a symbiotic manner. In our model, each site of a lattice may be vacant or host individuals of species A and/or B; multiple occupancy by the same species is prohibited. Symbiosis is represented by a reduced death rate μ<1 for individuals at sites with both species present. Otherwise, the dynamics is that of the basic CP, with creation (at vacant neighbor sites) at rate λ and death of (isolated) individuals at a rate of unity. Mean-field theory and Monte Carlo simulation show that the critical creation rate λ(c)(μ) is a decreasing function of μ, even though a single-species population must go extinct for λ<λ(c) (1), the critical point of the basic CP. Extensive simulations yield results for critical behavior that are compatible with the directed percolation (DP) universality class, but with unusually strong corrections to scaling. A field-theoretic argument supports the conclusion of DP critical behavior. We obtain similar results for a CP with creation at second-neighbor sites and enhanced survival at first neighbors in the form of an annihilation rate that decreases with the number of occupied first neighbors.

Despite being considered beneficial by providing a clean and renewable source of energy, the construction of hydroelectric dams has extremely negative implications for Amazonian fisheries. This study investigated the impacts of the Santo Antônio and Jirau hydroelectric dams on the fishery stocks of the Madeira River. This investigation was based on fish catch data from the Z‐31 fishing colony, located in the municipality of Humaitá, in Amazonas State, Northern Brazil. Data were collected daily and provided information on the date of return from each trip, the fish species targeted, and the total catch (kg) between January 2002 and September 2017. The results indicated reductions of 39% in the mean annual catch and 34% in the mean monthly catches. These results highlight the high price paid by local fish communities for the development of hydroelectric power in the Amazon basin.

Arginine was able to preserve barrier integrity, thus reducing BT.

Oral treatment with viable or heat-killed cells of S. boulardii maintained intestinal integrity and modulated the immune system in a murine IO model, preventing bacterial translocation and intestinal lesions.

Dietary glutamine (Gln) supplementation improves intestinal function in several stressful conditions. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of dietary Gln supplementation on the core body temperature (T core ), bacterial translocation (BT) and intestinal permeability of mice subjected to acute heat stress were evaluated. Male Swiss mice (4 weeks old) were implanted with an abdominal temperature sensor and randomly assigned to one of the following groups fed isoenergetic and isoproteic diets for 7 d before the experimental trials: group fed the standard AIN-93G diet and exposed to a high ambient temperature (398C) for 2 h (H-NS); group fed the AIN-93G diet supplemented with L-Gln and exposed to a high temperature (H-Gln); group fed the standard AIN-93G diet and not exposed to a high temperature (control, C-NS). Mice were orally administered diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid radiolabelled with technetium ( 99m Tc) for the assessment of intestinal permeability or 99m Tc-Escherichia coli for the assessment of BT. Heat exposure increased T core (approximately 418C during the experimental trial), intestinal permeability and BT to the blood and liver (3 h after the experimental trial) in mice from the H-NS group relative to those from the C-NS group. Dietary Gln supplementation attenuated hyperthermia and prevented the increases in intestinal permeability and BT induced by heat exposure. No correlations were observed between the improvements in gastrointestinal function and the attenuation of hyperthermia by Gln. Our findings indicate that dietary Gln supplementation preserved the integrity of the intestinal barrier and reduced the severity of hyperthermia during heat exposure. The findings also indicate that these Gln-mediated effects occurred through independent mechanisms.