A intervenção do ambientalismo internacional na Amazônia
Amazônia, ambientalismo, ecology, ecología, environmentalism
ENTRE 1989 e 2002, a Amazônia sofreu a intervenção do ambientalismo internacional. Permitida pelos governos brasileiros, essa intervenção, além do desejo de controle político, reflete as dificuldades dos povos industrializados em abandonar os princípios e os interesses desenvolvimentistas antiecológicos em casa. Os princípios e projetos do ambientalismo internacional reafirmam a atribuição de status superior à ciência, legitimando o papel central de cientistas e tecnoburocratas nos processos decisórios e ignorando que a Amazônia é patrimônio histórico-cultural dos amazônidas, em particular daqueles que praticam o plantio-manejo ecológico de recursos naturais, os quais apenas marginalmente têm alguma influência nas decisões.IN 1989-2002, international environmentalism intervened in Amazonia. Supported and followed by the Brazilian government, this intervention ideology and projects reflect not only the economic and political interests of industrialized people but also their difficulty to abandon the predatory developmental principles and interests at home. It ignores that Amazonian is the historical-cultural patrimony of the Amazonian peoples, enhancing the superior status of science and the central position of scientists, large Ongs, international and state bureaucracy in the decision-making process. It, therefore, attributes a secondary rule even to those locals who preserved Amazonian environment.
A ironia do apocalipse: uma breve reflexão sobre Fallout: New Vegas
quarentena, Video game, tempo, Apocalipse
O presente texto, escrito em junho de 2020, mês em que se observou a crescente intensificação da pandemia causada pelo vírus COVID-19, analisa alguns aspectos da trama do videogame Fallout: New Vegas (2010), relacionando-os com a experiência subjetiva propiciada pela situação de quarentena. Assim, tenta-se observar como as experimentações do fim e do apocalipse narradas neste jogo oferecem chaves de interpretação para melhor analisar o estado da subjetividade durante o período de confinamento. Em especial a relação conflitante com o tempo, entre a experiência do passado e a expectativa de futuro que são subjugadas pela presença excessiva da simultaneidade dos eventos do presente.
Communication. Mass media, Social sciences (General)
A juventude rural do assentamento Florestan Fernandes no município de Florestópolis (PR)
Assentamento Rural, Juventude rural, política agrícola, sucessão familiar
A possibilidade de uma crise na agricultura familiar referente à sucessão do empreendimento se mostra preocupante na medida em que alguns filhos abandonam a propriedade por não poder ou não querer exercer a profissão de agricultor. Esta é uma situação que pode comprometer a viabilidade socioeconômica de assentamentos rurais da reforma agrária. Neste sentido, o objetivo deste estudo de caso foi conhecer os anseios, as perspectivas de futuro e a realidade em que vivem os jovens rurais moradores do assentamento Florestan Fernandes, localizado no município de Florestópolis (PR), uma vez que eles poderiam ser os protagonistas na continuidade de exploração dos lotes conquistados. Concluiu-se que a maioria dos jovens tem grande interesse em continuar vivendo e trabalhando nos lotes com os pais, mas a limitação da renda obtida pela família nas atividades agropecuárias e a falta de renda própria levam estes jovens a optar por sair da propriedade, em busca de novas oportunidades.
Fernando Luis Martins Costa, Ricardo Ralisch
Sociedade Brasileira de Economia e Sociologia Rural
A k-mer grammar analysis to uncover maize regulatory architecture
Gene regulatory regions, machine learning models, Crops genomics
Abstract Background Only a small percentage of the genome sequence is involved in regulation of gene expression, but to biochemically identify this portion is expensive and laborious. In species like maize, with diverse intergenic regions and lots of repetitive elements, this is an especially challenging problem that limits the use of the data from one line to the other. While regulatory regions are rare, they do have characteristic chromatin contexts and sequence organization (the grammar) with which they can be identified. Results We developed a computational framework to exploit this sequence arrangement. The models learn to classify regulatory regions based on sequence features - k-mers. To do this, we borrowed two approaches from the field of natural language processing: (1) “bag-of-words” which is commonly used for differentially weighting key words in tasks like sentiment analyses, and (2) a vector-space model using word2vec (vector-k-mers), that captures semantic and linguistic relationships between words. We built “bag-of-k-mers” and “vector-k-mers” models that distinguish between regulatory and non-regulatory regions with an average accuracy above 90%. Our “bag-of-k-mers” achieved higher overall accuracy, while the “vector-k-mers” models were more useful in highlighting key groups of sequences within the regulatory regions. Conclusions These models now provide powerful tools to annotate regulatory regions in other maize lines beyond the reference, at low cost and with high accuracy.
Maria Katherine Mejia-Guerra, Edward S. Buckler
A k-mer-based method for the identification of phenotype-associated genomic biomarkers and predicting phenotypes of sequenced bacteria.
We have developed an easy-to-use and memory-efficient method called PhenotypeSeeker that (a) identifies phenotype-specific k-mers, (b) generates a k-mer-based statistical model for predicting a given phenotype and (c) predicts the phenotype from the sequencing data of a given bacterial isolate. The method was validated on 167 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates (virulence), 200 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates (ciprofloxacin resistance) and 459 Clostridium difficile isolates (azithromycin resistance). The phenotype prediction models trained from these datasets obtained the F1-measure of 0.88 on the K. pneumoniae test set, 0.88 on the P. aeruginosa test set and 0.97 on the C. difficile test set. The F1-measures were the same for assembled sequences and raw sequencing data; however, building the model from assembled genomes is significantly faster. On these datasets, the model building on a mid-range Linux server takes approximately 3 to 5 hours per phenotype if assembled genomes are used and 10 hours per phenotype if raw sequencing data are used. The phenotype prediction from assembled genomes takes less than one second per isolate. Thus, PhenotypeSeeker should be well-suited for predicting phenotypes from large sequencing datasets. PhenotypeSeeker is implemented in Python programming language, is open-source software and is available at GitHub (https://github.com/bioinfo-ut/PhenotypeSeeker/).
Erki Aun, Age Brauer, Veljo Kisand, Tanel Tenson, Maido Remm
A key role for vitamin D binding protein in COVID-19?
A key to the Colombian species of Holostipous Lejeuneaceae (Hepaticae) A key to the Colombian species of Holostipous Lejeuneaceae (Hepaticae)
Anfigastros, Distribución geográfica, Hepaticae, Holostipous Lejeuneaceae, Taxonomía vegetal, caracteres vegetativos, hepáticas
A synopsis and key emphasizing vegetative characters are provided for 72 species (in 34 genera) of Lejeuneaceae with undivided underleaves, recorded from Colombia and neighbouring areas. A brief statement on the altitudinal distribution and on the ecology of the species in Colombia is also provided. The checklist of the Hepaticae of Colombia (Gradstein & Hekking 1979) is updated; 10 species are added to the Colombian flora and 36 species names recorded from Colombia have fallen into synonymy. Se provee la sinopsis y la clave, con énfasis en carácteres vegetativos, para 72 especies (en 34 géneros) de Lejeuneaceae con anfigastros enteros para Colombia y regiones aledañas. También se suministra una breve información sobre la ecología y distribución altitudinal de las especies en Colombia. A la lista de Hepáticas de Colombia (Gradstein y Hekking 1979) se agregan 10 especies de la flora de Colombia, así mismo, 36 nombres de especies colombianas pasan a ser sinónimas.
http://www.revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/cal/article/view/35623
A la memoria del doctor Ramón Ferreyra (1910 - 2005)
En el año 1986, yo asistía al Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos como un estudiante interesado en la Ecología, y frecuentemente observaba a un personaje de edad avanzada que puntualmente acudía a laborar todas las ma- ñanas al Herbario San Marcos, el nombre de esa disciplinada persona era el Dr. Ramón Ferreyra, ya para ese entonces catedrático jubilado, pero nunca retirado de su actividad cientí- fica. No solamente lo conocí en su entusiasta trajín científico sino departiendo alegres momentos en todas las reuniones sociales del museo, donde tradicionalmente iniciaba los bailes.
Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos
http://revistasinvestigacion.unmsm.edu.pe/index.php/rpb/article/view/2387
A laboratory-based study examining the properties of silk fabric to evaluate its potential as a protective barrier for personal protective equipment and as a functional material for face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The worldwide shortage of single-use N95 respirators and surgical masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many health care personnel to use their existing equipment for as long as possible. In many cases, workers cover respirators with available masks in an attempt to extend their effectiveness against the virus. Due to low mask supplies, many people instead are using face coverings improvised from common fabrics. Our goal was to determine what fabrics would be most effective in both practices. Under laboratory conditions, we examined the hydrophobicity of fabrics (cotton, polyester, silk), as measured by their resistance to the penetration of small and aerosolized water droplets, an important transmission avenue for the virus causing COVID-19. We also examined the breathability of these fabrics and their ability to maintain hydrophobicity despite undergoing repeated cleaning. Laboratory-based tests were conducted when fabrics were fashioned as an overlaying barrier for respirators and when constructed as face coverings. When used as material in these two situations, silk was more effective at impeding the penetration and absorption of droplets due to its greater hydrophobicity relative to other tested fabrics. We found that silk face coverings repelled droplets in spray tests as well as disposable single-use surgical masks, and silk face coverings have the added advantage over masks such that they can be sterilized for immediate reuse. We show that silk is a hydrophobic barrier to droplets, can be more breathable than other fabrics that trap humidity, and are re-useable via cleaning. We suggest that silk can serve as an effective material for making hydrophobic barriers that protect respirators, and silk can now be tested under clinical conditions to verify its efficacy for this function. Although respirators are still the most appropriate form of protection, silk face coverings possess properties that make them capable of repelling droplets.
Adam F Parlin, Samuel M Stratton, Theresa M Culley, Patrick A Guerra
A laboratory-based study of COVID-19 in Casablanca, Morocco
covid-19, Risk factors, RT-PCR, SARS-CoV-2, laboratory test
Background: Given the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its impact on human health, laboratory confirmation of diagnosis is essential. Objective: This study examined the contribution of laboratory diagnosis to the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the diagnosis of COVID- 19, taking into account patient risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, clinical symptoms and comorbidities. Methods: A cross-sectional, laboratory-based study was carried out from 1 April 2020 to 30 April 2020 at the National Reference Laboratory in Morocco using nasopharyngeal samples from patients admitted to the Cheikh Khalifa International University Hospital or other hospitals in Casablanca. A one-step reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. A national epidemiological investigation form was used to analyze patient exposure risk, clinical symptoms and comorbidities. Results: A total of 793 samples from 375 patients were analyzed and 1150 RT-PCR tests were conducted; 116 patients (30.93%) were COVID-19 positive. Travel to a risk zone, contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case and contact with a person who had been in a risk zone were significantly associated with being positive for COVID-19. Fever and cough were the main symptoms; 7.76 % of positive patients were asymptomatic. Conclusion: This is the first laboratory-based study in Morocco for the diagnosis of COVID- 19. Laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19 by RT-PCR associated with knowledge of exposure risk factors and clinical symptoms and comorbidities remains essential for clinicians for early, appropriate medical management COVID-19 patients.
Idrissa Diawara, Houda Benrahma, Nida Meskaouni, Jalila Rahoui, Fatima-Zahra Moujid, Khadija Jaras, Rachid Benmessaoud, Khadija Arouro, Zahra Aadam, Salma Nahir, Zineb Aouzal, Hajar Elguazzar, Leila Jeddan, Hind Rida, Fadoua Ousti, Jalila El Bakkouri, Imane Smyej, Chakib Nejjari