Aspectos Organizacionais da Internacionalização de Universidades Corporativas Brasileiras

Este artigo tem como propósito investigar os principais aspectos organizacionais desenvolvidos pela Universidade Corporativa do Branco do Brasil, em seu processo de internacionalização. Para tal, procede-se uma revisão teórica que explora os principais conceitos de internacionalização e o Cultura Organizacional. Em termos metodológicos, a pesquisa pode ser caracterizada como estudo de caso, de natureza qualitativa, com coleta de dados por meio de entrevistas pessoais. Os resultados revelam percepções unânimes entre os desafios enfrentados pela UniBB em relação aos que são apresentados nas teoria. Os resultados mostram esforços no desenvolvimento de soluções em EAD e aspectos organizacionais relevantes na adaptação cultural, motivacional, de idioma e legal. Caberia neste estudo, aprofundar em mais pesquisas relacionadas ao tema, já que a problemática ainda é pouco explorada no Brasil. Evidencia-se que a atuação das Universidades Corporativas tem exercido um papel proativo e integrado, gerando valor na medida em que desenvolve estratégias educacionais alinhadas as estratégias de negócio

Residue from the extraction of oil from the Brazil Nut in diets for Tambaqui juveniles / Resíduo da extração do óleo da Castanha do Brasil em dietas para juvenis de Tambaqui

The parameters of water quality, productive performance and economic viability were evaluated in tambaqui juveniles fed with different levels (0, 15, 25 and 35%) of Brazil nut meal (BNM). The water parameters measured were: surface temperature (TEMP), dissolved oxygen (OXY), hydrogenic potential (pH), total ammonia (AMO), alkalinity (ALK), hardness (HAR) and nitrite (NIT). Weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), feed intake (FI), apparent feed conversion (AFC), condition factor (K), daily feed intake (DFI) and daily weight gain (DWG) was avaluated. The cost of feed per kilogram consumed (CF US/kg), cost of feed per kilogram of live weight gain (CF kg/LWG), economic efficiency index (EEI) and cost index (CI) were evaluated. TEMP, AMO, NIT, HAR did not differ (P>0.05), the means were 26.8°C, 0.16 mg L-1, 0 mg L and 17.8 mg L-1, respectively. The pH differed (P<0.05) and the treatment with 35% BNM was lower (6.5) when compared to the control (6.7). There was a decrease (P<0.05) in the levels of ALK and a linear increase (P<0.05) for the levels of OXY. The addition of BNM in the diet changed (P<0.05) the WG, SGR, FI, AFC, K, DFI and DWG. There was a downward trend (P<0.05) in the CF US/kg, CF kg/LWG and CI and a linear increase (P&lt;0.05) in the EEI. The BNM improved the production rates and changed the parameters of water quality, the inclusion of up to 35% of the BNM reduces the cost of production of feed and tambaqui juveniles.

Gene expression analysis identifies hypothetical genes that may be critical during the infection process of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri.

Background: Gene expression analysis via microarray is widely used in phytobacteria to validate differential gene expression associated with virulence or to compare biological profiles of wild type and mutant strains. Here, we employed DNA microarrays to study the early stages of the infection process (24, 72 and 120 h post-inoculation) of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xac) infecting Citrus sinensis to interrogate the expression profiles of hypothetical genes. Results: Under infective conditions, 446 genes were up- and 306 downregulated. Outstanding among genes upregulated during infection were those involved in synthesizing the Type 3 Secretion System and effectors, xanthan gum and quorum-sensing induction, and flagellum synthesis and regulation. Additionally, 161 hypothetical genes were up- and 100 were downregulated, 49 of which are known to have a significant biological role. To understand hypothetical gene co-regulation or -expression, nine expression profiles including 158 genes were identified during the three infection phases. Of these, 47 hypothetical genes were identified as having expression profiles associated with at least one connected to a gene associated with adaptation and virulence. Conclusions: Expression patterns of six differentially expressed genes were validated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of this tool in global gene expression analysis in Xac

Estoques de carbono e nitrogênio no solo devido a mudança do uso da terra em áreas de cultivo de café em minas gerais

The type of previous land use to the coffee cultivation and the adopted management practices of coffee pruning may affect the dynamics of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Thus, the aim of this study was to quantify soil C and N stocks in the three main coffee production regions of Minas Gerais State, evaluating different management systems and coffee cultivation time compared to cultivated pastures. For the calculation of C and N stocks, soil samples were collected to determine the content of C and N, in addition to soil density at different depths. Evaluated situations included management of coffee areas with and without pruning, and the type of previous land use to the coffee crop currently in the areas (i.e. pasture or coffee). The results indicated that coffee cultivation under grazing areas along with the adoption of good agricultural practices such as proper management of pruning and good weed control led to the maintenance of soil C and N stocks over time. Through this fact, it is possible to state that coffee cultivation positively affects soil health.O tipo de uso da terra anterior ao plantio de café e o manejo de podas adotado no cafezal podem condicionar a dinâmica do carbono (C) e do nitrogênio (N) no solo. Desta forma, o objetivo neste trabalho foi quantificar os estoques de C e N do solo nas três principais regiões produtoras de café de Minas Gerais, avaliando diferentes sistemas de manejo e cultivo do café em comparação com pastos cultivados. Para o cálculo dos estoques foram coletadas amostras de solo para determinação dos teores de C e N, além da densidade em diferentes profundidades. As avaliações incluem manejo das áreas com e sem podas, e o tipo de uso da terra anterior ao cultivo do café. Os resultados indicam que o cultivo do café sobre áreas de pastagem, com adoção de boas práticas agrícolas como um manejo adequado de podas e bom controle do mato, propicia a manutenção dos estoques de carbono e nitrogênio do solo. Através deste fato pode-se mencionar que a cafeicultura reflete positivamente na saúde do solo

Molecular characterization and virulence factor profiles of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine mastitis in Brazilian herds

Staphylococcus aureus is the main etiological agent of bovine mastitis worldwide and knowledge about its diversity and virulence factors is vital in controlling infections caused by this pathogen. The present study aimed to perform molecular characterization of a population of S. aureus (n=153 strains isolated from 1994 to 2014 in seven Brazilian states) by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and evaluate their virulence profiles via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PFGE identified 93 pulsotypes, with the isolates organized into 26 clusters and 20 unique pulsotypes. Predominant pulsotypes were observed, with variations according to the years of isolation and geographic origin of the isolates. Based on the PCR results for the genes encoding agglutination factors (ClfA and ClfB), binding proteins (fibronectin binding protein - FnBPA, elastin binding protein - Ebps, collagen binding protein - Cna), and toxins (Hla, Hlb and Luk-ED), 40 virulence profiles were detected. The frequency of virulence genes ranged from 58 to 98% (clfA:84.3%; clfB and hlb both 81%; hla:71.2%; fnBA:82.3%; Can:94.7%; ebps:58%; and lukED:98%). The existence of prevalent genotypes in some of the Brazilian states and the time period studied suggests that these genotypes are better adapted, with favorable characteristics in host/pathogen relationships. Genes of proven importance for S. aureus pathogenesis in bovine mastitis were widely distributed in genetically divergent populations, suggesting that most of these genes may be interesting candidates in the development of vaccines to control bovine mastitis in Brazil

Previous BCG vaccination is associated with less severe clinical progression of COVID-19

Background: BCG vaccination, originally used to prevent tuberculosis, is known to “train” the immune system to improve defence against viral respiratory infections. We investigated whether a previous BCG vaccination is associated with less severe clinical progression of COVID-19./ Methods: A case-control study comparing the proportion with a BCG vaccine scar (indicating previous vaccination) in cases and controls presenting with COVID-19 to health units in Brazil. Cases were subjects with severe COVID-19 (O2 saturation < 90%, severe respiratory effort, severe pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, sepsis, and septic shock). Controls had COVID-19 not meeting the definition of “severe” above. Unconditional regression was used to estimate vaccine protection against clinical progression to severe disease, with strict control for age, comorbidity, sex, educational level, race/colour, and municipality. Internal matching and conditional regression were used for sensitivity analysis./ Results: BCG was associated with high protection against COVID-19 clinical progression, over 87% (95% CI 74–93%) in subjects aged 60 or less and 35% (95% CI − 44–71%) in older subjects./ Conclusions: This protection may be relevant for public health in settings where COVID-19 vaccine coverage is still low and may have implications for research to identify vaccine candidates for COVID-19 that are broadly protective against mortality from future variants. Further research into the immunomodulatory effects of BCG may inform COVID-19 therapeutic research.

A list of land plants of Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Brazil, highlights the presence of sampling gaps within this protected area

Brazilian protected areas are essential for plant conservation in the Atlantic Forest domain, one of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots. A major challenge for improving conservation actions is to know the plant richness, protected by these areas. Online databases offer an accessible way to build plant species lists and to provide relevant information about biodiversity. A list of land plants of “Parque Nacional do Caparaó” (PNC) was previously built using online databases and published on the website "Catálogo de Plantas das Unidades de Conservação do Brasil." Here, we provide and discuss additional information about plant species richness, endemism and conservation in the PNC that could not be included in the List. We documented 1,791 species of land plants as occurring in PNC, of which 63 are cited as threatened (CR, EN or VU) by the Brazilian National Red List, seven as data deficient (DD) and five as priorities for conservation. Fifity-one species were possible new ocurrences for ES and MG states

Previous BCG vaccination is associated with less severe clinical progression of COVID-19

BACKGROUND: BCG vaccination, originally used to prevent tuberculosis, is known to "train" the immune system to improve defence against viral respiratory infections. We investigated whether a previous BCG vaccination is associated with less severe clinical progression of COVID-19 METHODS: A case-control study comparing the proportion with a BCG vaccine scar (indicating previous vaccination) in cases and controls presenting with COVID-19 to health units in Brazil. Cases were subjects with severe COVID-19 (O2 saturation < 90%, severe respiratory effort, severe pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, sepsis, and septic shock). Controls had COVID-19 not meeting the definition of "severe" above. Unconditional regression was used to estimate vaccine protection against clinical progression to severe disease, with strict control for age, comorbidity, sex, educational level, race/colour, and municipality. Internal matching and conditional regression were used for sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: BCG was associated with high protection against COVID-19 clinical progression, over 87% (95% CI 74-93%) in subjects aged 60 or less and 35% (95% CI - 44-71%) in older subjects. CONCLUSIONS: This protection may be relevant for public health in settings where COVID-19 vaccine coverage is still low and may have implications for research to identify vaccine candidates for COVID-19 that are broadly protective against mortality from future variants. Further research into the immunomodulatory effects of BCG may inform COVID-19 therapeutic research