Preventing wildlife roadkill can offset mitigation investments in short-medium term

Wildlife vehicle collisions (WVC) are a threat to wildlife and humans, killing millions of animals of numerous species, as well as causing significant damage to vehicles, drivers and passengers. Road fencing is a highly effective mitigation measure at reducing WVC, however its large-scale implementation requires a high investment. We questioned how long it would take for savings from avoided collisions to offset the investments in road fencing mitigation, focusing on vehicle damage costs. Using the information of a 3-year systematic roadkill monitoring of 1158 km in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, we estimated the real number of casualties accounting for bias in roadkill counting. We obtained information on the material costs on cars and trucks due to WVC and, considering the road traffic volume characteristics, estimated the total material costs resulting from collisions with larger animals. Cost-benefit analyses allowed estimating the time required to amortize the investment in fencing, considering its application along the full surveyed roads or only in hotspots of mortality. We recorded over 10,000 WVC, 40% of which involved animals that can cause significant material damage to vehicles, namely the endangered lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris, n = 267) and giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla, n = 608). The average material cost per accident was US$ 885 ± 1575 (mean ± SD). We show that investments are likely to pay off in 16–40 years for the mitigation of the full roads, and in 9–25 years for hotspots of mortality. Thus, road mitigation is a win-win solution for increasing traffic safety for humans and reduces road-related negative effects on biodiversity.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

A GEST?O DO TRABALHO NO SUAS: compreendendo limites e possibilidades no contexto do Munic?pio de Cajazeiras/PB

Ao considerarmos a categoria trabalho, torna-se essencial a constru??o de seu entendimento a partir de uma vis?o que contemple as nuances que perpassam seus determinantes e particularidades. Nesta perspectiva, o presente trabalho tem o objetivo de analisar os limites e possibilidades da efetiva??o da Gest?o do Trabalho no Sistema ?nico de Assist?ncia Social (SUAS) no munic?pio de Cajazeiras-PB. Em termos metodol?gicos, o estudo estrutura-se por meio de uma pesquisa explorat?ria e descritiva, de car?ter quali-quantitativo, contemplando an?lise documental, com o intuito de subsidiar as discuss?es acerca da tem?tica proposta, bem como a realiza??o de entrevista semiestruturada com os profissionais do SUAS. Assim, observa-se que o processo de Gest?o do Trabalho no SUAS no munic?pio de Cajazeiras necessita de melhorias no sentido de promover a??es que venham minimizar a fragiliza??o dos v?nculos empregat?cios, a falta de recursos e a sistematiza??o das a??es atrav?s da implementa??o de uma pol?tica de capacita??o permanente. Face a isso, o presente trabalho tem o escopo de transpor a mera repeti??o de ideias, tendo em vista que prop?e a realiza??o de uma an?lise cr?tica acerca dos limites e possibilidades da efetiva??o da Gest?o do Trabalho no Sistema ?nico de Assist?ncia Social no munic?pio de Cajazeiras-PB

The Distance, Mass, and Radius of the Neutron Star in 4U 1608-52

Low mass X-ray binaries that show thermonuclear bursts are ideal sources for constraining the equation of state of neutron star matter. The lack of independent distance measurements for most of these sources, however, prevents a systematic exploration of the masses and radii of the neutron stars, hence limiting the equation of state studies. We present here a measurement of the distance to the low mass X-ray binary 4U 1608-52 that is based on the study of the interstellar extinction towards the source. We first model the individual absorption edges of the elements Ne and Mg in the high resolution X-ray spectrum obtained with XMM-Newton. We then combine this information with a measurement of the run of reddening with distance using red clump stars and determine a minimum distance to the source of 3.9 kpc, with a most probable value of 5.8 kpc. Finally, we analyze time-resolved X-ray spectra of Type-I X-ray bursts observed from this source to measure the mass and the radius of the neutron star. We find a mass of M = 1.74 +/- 0.14 M_sun and a radius of R = 9.3 +/- 1.0 km, respectively. This mass and radius can be achieved by several multi-nucleon equations of state.Comment: ApJ in print. Resulting probability distributions of our measurements can be found at http://ice.as.arizona.edu/~n

REGISTROS ADICIONAIS DE Eurythenes obesus (CHEVREUX, 1905) (CRUSTÁCEA: ANFIPODA: EURYTHENEIDAE) PARA ÁGUAS PROFUNDAS BRASILEIRAS

The family Eurytheneidae Stoddart & Lowry, 2004 is monotypic, including only the genus Eurythenes Smith, 1882, which is composed by Meso- and benthopelagic amphipods, with large vertical distribution in water column and can be reach depths of 5000 m, especially in muddy bottoms, in association with the great offer of organic matter in deep environments. Eurythenes is represented by nine species, with a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring in all oceans and covering high latitudes. However, in Atlantic Ocean, only five species are reported: Eurythenes obesus (Chevreux, 1905), E. magellanicus (H. Milne Edwards, 1848) as [= E. gryllus (Lichtenstein in Mandt, 1822)], E. maldoror d'Udekem d'Acoz & Havermans, 2015, E. sigmiferus d'Udekem d'Acoz & Havermans, 2015 and E. thurstoni Stoddart & Lowry, 2004, being the E. obesus reported only from the States of Rio de Janeiro and Bahia in Brazilian waters. In this study, we recorded the presence of E. obesus in Northeast of Brazil at seamounts (Fernando de Noronha Chain – off Rocas Atoll) and off the state of Rio Grande do Norte. This record brings a new observation of E. obesus from Brazil and increases knowledge on the deep crustaceans from northeastern Brazil.Keywords: Deep-sea; Brazil; Meso and Bathypelagic amphipod; New Records; Seamounts.A família Eurytheneidae Stoddart & Lowry, 2004 é monotípica, incluindo apenas o gênero Eurythenes Smith, 1882, o qual é composto por anfípodas Meso e Batipelágicos, com larga distribuição vertical na coluna da água e podendo alcançar profundidades de 5000 m, especialmente em fundos lamosos, em associação com a grande oferta de matéria orgânica em ambientes profundos. Eurythenes é representada por nove espécies, com distribuição cosmopolita, ocorrendo em todos os oceanos e cobrindo altas latitudes. Contudo, no oceano Atlântico, apenas cinco espécies são reportadas: Eurythenes obesus (Chevreux, 1905), E. magellanicus (H. Milne Edwards, 1848) como [= E. gryllus (Lichtenstein in Mandt, 1822)], E. maldoror d'Udekem d'Acoz & Havermans, 2015, E. sigmiferus d'Udekem d'Acoz & Havermans, 2015 e E. thurstoni Stoddart & Lowry, 2004, sendo o E. obesus reportado apenas para os Estados do Rio de Janeiro e Bahia em águas Brasileiras. Neste estudo, nos registramos a presença de E. obesus para os montes submarinos (Cadeia de Fernando de Noronha- fora do Atol das Rocas) e ao largo do Rio Grande do Norte, ambas localizadas no nordeste do Brasil. Esse registro trás uma nova observação do E. obesus para o Brasil e aumenta o conhecimento sobre crustáceos profundos para o nordeste do Brasil.Palavras-chave: Mar profundo, Brasil, Anfípodas meso e Batipelágicos, Novo registro, Montes submarinos

Contexto da prática: análise da política pública educacional de especialização em gestão pública do programa nacional de formação em administração pública

Este artigo propõe analisar o contexto da prática na produção do Programa Nacional de Formação em Administração Pública no Instituto Federal de Educação Ciência e Tecnologia da Paraíba. De caráter qualitativo, o estudo contemplou entrevistas semiestruturadas e análise de documentos institucionais. Verificaram-se repercussões importantes relacionadas ao aprendizado organizacional em Educação a Distância adquirido com o programa, constatando-se, porém, a necessidade de que o mesmo se torne política de Estado, a fim de garantir estabilidade e continuidade aos cursos oferecidos

Contexto da prática: análise da política pública educacional de especialização em gestão pública do PNAP

Ao longo dos anos a Administração Pública vem formulando e implementando políticas públicas com o objetivo de cumprir o seu papel de promoção de desenvolvimento econômico e social da população, esforçando-se em estabelecer parcerias para produzir e implementar políticas públicas, compartilhando competências e almejando resultados ideais na prestação do serviço à população. Uma destas iniciativas diz respeito à parceria entre Instituições Públicas de Educação Superior (IPES) de todo país e o Sistema Universidade Aberta do Brasil (UAB) para a oferta de cursos de Pós-Graduação Lato Sensu na modalidade a distância, por meio do Programa Nacional de Formação em Administração Pública - PNAP. Utilizando-se da abordagem do ciclo de políticas proposta por Stephen J. Ball e colaboradores, o presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar o contexto da prática que influenciou a produção desta política educacional no Instituto Federal de Educação Ciência e Tecnologia da Paraíba - IFPB, evidenciando impactos e consequências vivenciados na implementação e na prática da mesma em âmbito institucional. A coleta de dados contemplou entrevistas semiestruturadas com quatro atores sociais envolvidos na gestão do curso, além de análise de documentos institucionais. Verificou-se que a adesão ao PNAP e a prática desta política pública teve repercussões importantes dentro do Instituto, em especial relacionadas ao aprendizado organizacional especializado em Educação a Distância adquirido com a experiência vivenciada no Curso em estudo. Todavia, é preciso que este programa, que funciona por meio de adesões temporárias, transforme-se em uma política de Estado, a fim de garantir a estabilidade e continuidade de cursos importantes como estes principalmente em localidades distantes dos grandes centros urbanos da Paraíba e do Brasil

Use of an innovative system and nanotechnology-based strategy for therapeutic applications of Gla-rich protein (GRP)

Introduction: Gla-rich protein (GRP) is a vitamin K-dependent protein (VKDP) acting as a calcification inhibitor and anti-inflammatory agent in cardiovascular and articular systems, and THP1 monocyte/macrophage cells [1,2]. Calcification and inflammation processes are known to be involved in the etiology of several calcification-related chronic inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis, CKD and osteoarthritis, in a complex bi-directional interplay that drives disease progression. Here, we developed an innovative system to produce human c-carboxylated GRP (cGRP), and a nanotechnology strategy based on GRP loading into extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a gold standard delivery system for GRP in therapeutic applications. Materials and methods: Human GRP protein was co-expressed with c-carboxylase enzyme (GGCX), vitamin K oxidoreductase (GGCX) and furin, in the insect cell baculovirus system in the presence of vitamin K. GRP released in the cell culture media was characterized by mass spectrometry based techniques and Western blot analysis. EVs released by the insect cells overexpressing GRP were isolated by ultracentrifugation, and characterized for GRP content through TEM-immunogold staining, Western blot, ELISA, qPCR. Functional assays using isolated EVs containing GRP were performed in primary vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and THP1 monocyte/macrophage cells, for anti-mineralizing and anti-inflammatory screening.Results: GRP released in the cell culture media when co-expressed with GGCX, VKOR and furin in the presence of vitamin K, is processed at the pro-peptide and contain Gla residues. EVs released by the insect cells in this system were shown to be loaded with GRP protein and mRNA, and capable of reducing ECM calcium deposition of calcifying VSMCs and the production of TNFa in THP1 monocyte/macrophage cells stimulated with LPS. Discussion and conclusions: While the successful production of human cGRP constitutes a major achievement, this innovative methodology will open new opportunities for the production of other biological active VKDPs. Furthermore, EVs loaded with GRP were shown to have anti-mineralizing and anti-inflammatory properties, with promising therapeutic potentialities for calcification-related chronic inflammatory diseases.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (EU/PID1003201)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Reciclagem de rejeitos inorgânicos para redução do déficit habitacional, contribuições para a saúde pública e sustentabilidade do planeta

Tendo em vista que um dos maiores desafios que a humanidade precisa resolver atualmente, e com urgênia, é como garantir um desenvolvimento industrial contínuo preservando simultaneamente o meio ambiente, nosso objetivo neste trabalho é contribuir com os líderes políticos para encontrar um compromisso adequado visando um desenvolvimento sustentável. Diversas equipes de pesquisas básicas e aplicadas têm demonstrando um grande esforço e significativa evolução nos estudos com reciclagens e reaproveitamento de uma diversidade valiosa de resíduos industriais desde a década de 80. A redução no custo das matérias primas sem dúvida contribuirá para o combate do déficit habitacional e consequentemente para melhoramentos na precariedade da saúde pública. Nesse sentido, além da apresentação de trabalhos vários colegas, é apresentada uma proposta mais detalhada de uma experiência, avaliando os desempenhos de argamassas com 100% de areias totalmente recicladas (AR), advindas dos resíduos de construção e demolição (RCD), Classe A, para uma analogia com areia 100% natural (AN), proveniente dos depósitos naturais. A reciclagem de RCD foi realizada no local de construção que minimiza o risco de sua contaminação, sendo uma alternativa mais sustentável e econômica porque reduz as despesas com transportes e consequentemente as imissões de carbono. Portanto, uma logística deve ser otimizada para cada uma das matérias primas, ou seja, um plano de gestão de resíduos nos locais da construção

Impact of deficit irrigation on grapevine cv. ‘Touriga Nacional’ during three seasons in Douro region: an agronomical and metabolomics approach

The introduction of irrigation in vineyards of the Mediterranean basin is a matter of debate, in particular in those of the Douro Demarcated Region (DDR), due to the limited number of available studies. Here, we aimed to perform a robust analysis in three consecutive vintages (2018, 2019, and 2020) on the impact of deficit irrigation on the yield, berry quality traits, and metabolome of cv. ‘Touriga Nacional’. Results showed that in the peaks of extreme drought, irrigation at 30% crop evapotranspiration (ETc) (R30) was able to prevent a decay of up to 0.4 MPa of leaf predawn water potential (ΨPd), but irrigation at 70% ETc (R70) did not translate into additional protection against drought stress. Following three seasons of irrigation, the yield was significantly improved in vines irrigated at R30, whereas irrigation at R70 positively affected the yield only in the 2020 season. Berry quality traits at harvest were not significantly changed by irrigation, except for Total Soluble Solids (TSS) in 2018. A UPLC–MS-based targeted metabolomic analysis identified eight classes of compounds, amino acids, phenolic acids, stilbenoid DP1, stilbenoid DP2, flavonols, flavan-3-ols, di-OH- and tri-OH anthocyanins, and showed that anthocyanins and phenolic acids did not change significantly with irrigation. The present study showed that deficit irrigation partially mitigated the severe summer water deficit conditions in the DDR but did not significantly change key metabolites.This research was funded by the VISCA project (Vineyards’ Integrated Smart Climate Application), funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 730253. The Région-Centre Val de Loire (France) supported this work under the grant agreement to Project VITI’ACTIF. The work was also supported by the “Contrato-Programa” UIDB/04050/2020 funded by Portuguese national funds through the FCT I.P. The work was also supported by FCT, CCDR-N (Norte Portugal Regional Coordination and Development Commission) and European Funds (FEDER/POCI/COMPETE2020) through the project AgriFoodXXI (NORTE01-0145-FEDER-000041) and the research projects BerryPlastid (PTDC/BIA-FBT/28165/2017 and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028165), MitiVineDrought (PTDC/BIA-FBT/30341/2017 and POCI-01-0145- FEDER-030341), and GrapeInfectomics (PTDC/ASPHOR/28485/2017). A.T. was supported by a post-doctoral researcher contract/position within the project “BerryPlastid”. This work also benefited from the networking activities within the European COST Action CA 17111 INTEGRAPE, the CoLAB VINES & WINES, and the CoLAB 4FOOD—Collaborative Laboratory for Innovation in the Food Industry

Evaluation of neck circumference as a predictor of elevated cardiometabolic risk outcomes in 5–8-year-old Brazilian children

Background: Childhood overweight and obesity is a global health problem that continues to worsen in many low- and middle-income countries. Low-cost measurements for monitoring overweight and relative metabolic risk, such as neck circumference (NC), should be evaluated in different populations and age groups. / Aim: To test associations of NC and BMI with cardiometabolic parameters in 5-8-year-old Brazilian children. / Methods: This cross-sectional study carried out from 2004–2006 measured height, weight and NC by anthropometry, and estimated fat and fat-free mass by bioelectrical impedance. Cardiometabolic risk factors assessed were systolic and diastolic blood pressure, high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA). Associations of NC and BMI with cardiometabolic risk factors were tested using multiple regression and precision-recall plot analysis. / Results: Analyses included 371 children (52% female). NC associated positively with BMI, fat mass, and fat-free mass, and with systolic blood pressure and HOMA following adjustment for age in sex-stratified multiple regression models. However, the latter relationships largely disappeared following adjustment for BMI. Area under the curve for NC or BMI in association with systolic blood pressure or HOMA >90th percentile was low in the pooled sample, indicating poor classifier performance. / Conclusions: NC and BMI demonstrated similar associations with cardiometabolic risk factors, although NC mostly did not correlate with risk factors independently of BMI. In contrast to previous studies, NC was a poor classifier of cardiometabolic risk factors in children. The association of NC with both fat and fat-free mass may aid in explaining its poor performance