Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Análise da comportamento espectral da água do Rio Doce, Brasil, mediante o rompimento da barragem de sedimentos da empresa SAMARCO

A Barragem de Fundão, localizada na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Doce, Brasil, destinava-se ao acúmulo de sedimentos das atividades de extração de minério de ferro da empresa SAMARCO. Esta barragem rompeu-se no dia 5 de novembro de 2015, causando enorme desastre ambiental em todos os cursos d’agua à jusante, até atingir o Oceano Atlântico. A lama de rejeitos atingiu o Rio Doce e alterou a qualidade da água para captação e consumo em diversos municípios, sendo um desses o de Governador Valadares (MG). Sabe-se que, dentro das aplicações do sensoriamento remoto para a engenharia, a análise visual e do comportamento espectral dos alvos auxilia a tomada de decisão para a recuperação e o manejo de bacias hidrográficas. Desta forma, analisou-se o comportamento espectral da água e do NDWI (Normalized Difference Water Index) de seis imagens do Landsat 8 para o município de Governador Valadares, sendo duas antes e quatro após o rompimento da barragem (datas 05/08/2014; 25/09/2015; 12/11/2015, 16/02/2016; 10/08/2016 e 10/06/2017). Em escala de 0-1, o pico de reflectância da água antes ao ocorrido (05/08/2014) era da banda do verde, de 0,048. A imagem referente ao dia 12/11/2015, logo após o rompimento, apresentou maior reflectância em todas as bandas, com maior pico na infravermelho próximo (0,48), banda esta correspontente à resposta dos alvos sólidos suspensos na água e vegetação, bem como elevação do NDWI. A reflectância foi reduzida após 8 meses do desastre, entretanto em nenhuma data analisada o comportamento espectral equivaleu-se ao observado antes do desastre ambienta

Análise da comportamento espectral da água do Rio Doce, Brasil, mediante o rompimento da barragem de sedimentos da empresa SAMARCO

A Barragem de Fundão, localizada na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Doce, Brasil, destinava-se ao acúmulo de sedimentos das atividades de extração de minério de ferro da empresa SAMARCO. Esta barragem rompeu-se no dia 5 de novembro de 2015, causando enorme desastre ambiental em todos os cursos d’agua à jusante, até atingir o Oceano Atlântico. A lama de rejeitos atingiu o Rio Doce e alterou a qualidade da água para captação e consumo em diversos municípios, sendo um desses o de Governador Valadares (MG). Sabe-se que, dentro das aplicações do sensoriamento remoto para a engenharia, a análise visual e do comportamento espectral dos alvos auxilia a tomada de decisão para a recuperação e o manejo de bacias hidrográficas. Desta forma, analisou-se o comportamento espectral da água e do NDWI (Normalized Difference Water Index) de seis imagens do Landsat 8 para o município de Governador Valadares, sendo duas antes, e quatro após o rompimento da barragem (datas 05/08/2014; 25/09/2015; 12/11/2015, 16/02/2016; 10/08/2016 e 10/06/2017). Em escala de 0-1, o pico de reflectância da água antes ao ocorrido (05/08/2014) era da banda do verde, de 0,048. A imagem referente ao dia 12/11/2015, logo após o rompimento, apresentou maior reflectância em todas as bandas, com maior pico na infravermelho próximo (0,48), banda esta correspontente à resposta dos alvos sólidos suspensos na água e vegetação, bem como elevação do NDWI. A reflectância foi reduzida após 8 meses do desastre, entretanto em nenhuma data analisada o comportamento espectral equivaleu-se ao observado antes do desastre ambiental. &nbsp

Effects of aflatoxin B1 on performance and health of tambaqui fingerlings (Colossoma macropomum)

Abstract The detection of mycotoxins in feeds and their ingredients in aquaculture gained prominence due to losses caused in production and animal health, mainly the occurrence of aflatoxin (AFB1). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of AFB1 on the performance of tambaqui fingerlings (Colossoma macropomum). Four hundred tambaqui were used. Four different treatments were evaluated: treatment T1, considered as the control treatment (CT) with 3.84 μg kg−1; treatment T2, treatment T3 and treatment T4 with 500, 1000 and 2000 μg kg−1 of AFB1, respectively. The AFB1 of the samples (muscle, liver and kidney) was detected by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Four fingerlings from each treatment for histological analysis were examined. Moreover, the performance parameters (weight gain, feed conversion and feed intake) were studied. The levels of toxins used in T2, T3 and T4 represent a reduction in the growth of 14%, 35% and 45%, respectively. The T3 and T4 showed the lowest weight gain (78%) and the worst feed conversion. Aflatoxin B1 in muscle (3.28 μg kg−1) and kidneys (8.8 μg kg−1) in the T3, as well as liver (4.4 μg kg−1) and kidney (4.08 μg kg−1) in T4, was detected. Histopathological changes in liver and kidney tissues of fingerlings were more pronounced in T3 and T4. Fingerlings that consume feed contaminated with AFB1 in concentrations higher than 500 μg kg−1 present decreases in growth, reduction in weight gain and feed intake with increased feed conversion. The consumption of feed contaminated with 1000 and 2000 μg kg−1 of AFB1 caused severe deterioration in the hepatic and renal tissues

Theoretical-methodological approaches in territorial studies : the case of the research hotbed : urban-rural peripheral territorialities in the contemporary city

Los capítulos que integran este libro surgen de las contribuciones exploratorias realizadas por un equipo de jóvenes investigadoras quienes participaron en el proceso de formación teórica y metodológica virtual ofrecido durante 2021 por el semillero de investigación Territorialidades Urbano-Rurales en la Ciudad Contemporánea, promovido por el profesor e investigador Manuel Enrique Pérez Martínez de la Facultad de Estudios Ambientales y Rurales de la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.Bogot

Património Industrial Ibero-americano: recentes abordagens

Neste livro, que é um contributo importante para o avanço do conhecimento sobre o Património Industrial no mundo ibero-americano,estão reunidos um conjunto de textos de jovens investigadores que abordam os seguintes temas: a importância de incrementar a ligação entre os testemunhos do património industrial e os recursos documentais para o seu estudo; o desenvolvimento da investigação sobre património industrial na universidade de modo a que se produza uma actualização e normalização das metodologias próprias da arqueologia industrial aplicadas, nomeadamente ao conhecimento e registo activo do património industrial; a importância do trabalho de equipas de carácter multidisciplinar; a necessidade de aplicar critérios rigorosos em relação às práticas de reabilitação do património industrial; o reforço do interesse patrimonial de paisagens, edifícios, instalações e infraestrutura pertencentes aos diferentes processos industriais; e destacar o papel fundamental que os grupos e associações de cidadãos desempenham na defesa e disseminação do património industrial