Communication of Epidemiological Data on Covid-19 In the State of Bahia, Brazil: An Experience Report of The State Epidemiological Surveillance Team

In view of the Covid-19 pandemic scenario, the dissemination of safe and correct information about the disease is essential to raise the population\u27s awareness about preventive measures and to direct public policies to deal with the state of emergency in public health. The objective of this paper is to describe the process of improvement and qualification of communication in the preparation of Covid-19 epidemiological data in the state of Bahia. The dissemination of epidemiological data contributed to the dissemination of information to the media in Bahia and Brazil. With the evolution of the disease, the need to present data in a more accessible way to the population has become urgent, requiring the team to institute measures to improve their work process in order to disseminate epidemiological data in a faster and more transparent manner. In contrast to this complex scenario, the permanent effort and dedication so that the data were consistent with the local reality, reliable and accessible, supporting the actions and strategies to fight the pandemic, can guarantee transparency to the population, the commitment of the information made available and the institution of social measures to control the pandemic

Retelling the recent evolution of genetic diversity for Guzerá: Inferences from LD decay, runs of homozygosity and Ne over the generations

[EN] Genetic diversity is the one of the most important issues in conservation studies of livestock breeds or endangered species. In the present study, we tested the feasibility of describing the recent evolution in genetic diversity through genome-wide SNP genotyping and estimates of linkage disequilibrium decay patterns, effective population size, inbreeding coefficient based on runs of homozygosity and population structure. We choose the bovine indicine breed Guzerá because it has suffered recent bottlenecks which have been registered historically. A sample of 1036 females was genotyped using Illumina BovineSNP50. A resampling strategy was applied to correct for sampling biases caused by the population structure in herds, and by the extensive use of some sires for artificial reproduction. A subsample of 210 animals and 32,806 markers with MAF > 0.01 was used. Very low linkage disequilibrium was detected for distances greater than 120 Kb between two markers. Furthermore, three points of decrease in effective population size between generations were detected, which coincide with the historically registered bottlenecks. The inbreeding coefficient, based on runs of homozygosity, confirmed a strong contribution of the last 20–30 generations to current inbreeding. In the population structure analysis, the most probable number of sub-populations is 2, reflecting selection purpose (beef or dual-purpose). Taken together, these results allow a retelling of the recent evolution of this breed. The strategy described here will be useful for other breeds or even species for which a careful historical registry is not available for conservation proposals.SIWe thank to the farmers, who allowed the development of this project in their farms. We thank to Mr. Peter Laspina for reviewing language review and valuable comments. This study was supported by Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa). Marcos V. B. Silva was supported by the Embrapa – SEG 02.09.07.008.00.00 “Genomic Selection in Dairy Cattle in Brazil”, CNPq PVE 407246/2013-4 “Genomic Selection in Dairy Gyr and Girolando Breeds”, and FAPEMIG CVZ PPM 00395/14 “Genomic Selection in Brazilian Dairy Breeds” appropriated projects. MRSC has a fellowship from the CNPq – 307975/2010-0 and was supported by CNPq – 505338/2008-A and 481018/2008-5 projects. MGCDP, RVV, MAM have fellowships from FAPEMIG. PASF, FCS and ICR have CAPES fellowships

Implementation of DNA markers to produce genomically - Enhanced EPDs in nellore cattle

Background: The sequencing and publication of the cattle genome and the identification of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) molecular markers have provided new tools for animal genetic evaluation and genomic-enhanced selection. These new tools aim to increase the accuracy and scope of selection while decreasing generation interval. The objective of this study was to evaluate the enhancement of accuracy caused by the use of genomic information (Clarifide® - Pfizer) on genetic evaluation of Brazilian Nellore cattle. Review: The application of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) is recognized as one of the most practical approaches to modern genetic improvement. Genomic selection is perhaps most suited to the improvement of traits with low heritability in zebu cattle. The primary interest in livestock genomics has been to estimate the effects of all the markers on the chip, conduct cross-validation to determine accuracy, and apply the resulting information in GWAS either alone [9] or in combination with bull test and pedigree-based genetic evaluation data. The cost of SNP50K genotyping however limits the commercial application of GWAS based on all the SNPs on the chip. However, reasonable predictability and accuracy can be achieved in GWAS by using an assay that contains an optimally selected predictive subset of markers, as opposed to all the SNPs on the chip. The best way to integrate genomic information into genetic improvement programs is to have it included in traditional genetic evaluations. This approach combines traditional expected progeny differences based on phenotype and pedigree with the genomic breeding values based on the markers. Including the different sources of information into a multiple trait genetic evaluation model, for within breed dairy cattle selection, is working with excellent results. However, given the wide genetic diversity of zebu breeds, the high-density panel used for genomic selection in dairy cattle (Ilumina Bovine SNP50 array) appears insufficient for across-breed genomic predictions and selection in beef cattle. Today there is only one breed-specific targeted SNP panel and genomic predictions developed using animals across the entire population of the Nellore breed (www.pfizersaudeanimal.com), which enables genomically - enhanced selection. Genomic profiles are a way to enhance our current selection tools to achieve more accurate predictions for younger animals. Material and Methods: We analyzed the age at first calving (AFC), accumulated productivity (ACP), stayability (STAY) and heifer pregnancy at 30 months (HP30) in Nellore cattle fitting two different animal models; 1) a traditional single trait model, and 2) a two-trait model where the genomic breeding value or molecular value prediction (MVP) was included as a correlated trait. All mixed model analyses were performed using the statistical software ASREML 3.0. Results: Genetic correlation estimates between AFC, ACP, STAY, HP30 and respective MVPs ranged from 0.29 to 0.46. Results also showed an increase of 56%, 36%, 62% and 19% in estimated accuracy of AFC, ACP, STAY and HP30 when MVP information was included in the animal model. Conclusion: Depending upon the trait, integration of MVP information into genetic evaluation resulted in increased accuracy of 19% to 62% as compared to accuracy from traditional genetic evaluation. GE-EPD will be an effective tool to enable faster genetic improvement through more dependable selection of young animals

Bird diversity-environment relationships in urban parks and cemeteries of the Neotropics during breeding and non-breeding seasons

Background Urbanization will increase in the next decades, causing the loss of green areas and bird diversity within cities. There is a lack of studies at a continental scale analyzing the relationship between urban green areas, such as parks and cemeteries, and bird species richness in the Neotropical region. Bird diversity-environment relationships in urban parks and cemeteries may be influenced by latitudinal gradients or species-area relationships. However, the seasonal variation of species diversity- environment has not been analyzed at a continental scale in the Neotropics. Methods Bird surveys were conducted in 36 cemeteries and 37 parks within 18 Neotropical cities during non-breeding and breeding seasons. Bird diversity was assessed through Hill numbers, focusing on species richness, the effective number of species derived from Shannon index and the Simpson index. Environmental variables included latitude, altitude, and local scale variables such as area size, habitat diversity and pedestrian traffic. Results Species richness and Shannon diversity were higher during the breeding season, whereas Simpson diversity did not vary between seasons. During both seasons, species richness increased with area size, was negatively related to altitude, and was the highest at 20° latitude. Species richness was also positively related to habitat diversity, pedestrian traffic, and was highest in suburban areas during the non-breeding season. Shannon and Simpson diversity showed significant relationships with habitat diversity and area size during the breeding season. Bird diversity was similar between parks and cemeteries. Discussion Our results showed that urban parks and cemeteries have similar roles in conserving urban bird diversity in Neotropical cities. However, species diversity-environment relations at the continental scale varied between seasons, highlighting the importance of conducting annual studies

ANO IX, número 18

Espaço e Economia: Revista Brasileira de Geografia Econômica dedica esta edição especial à segunda parte do Dossiê Coronavírus

Seminário de Dissertação (2024)

Página da disciplina de Seminário de Dissertação (MPPP, UFPE, 2022) Lista de participantes == https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mrULe1y04yPxHUBaF50jhaM1OY8QYJ3zva4N4yvm198/edit#gid=

Extraprensa. Cultura e comunicação na América Latina (Edição Especial sep 2019)

A revista Extraprensa é um periódico destinado à publicação da produção científica nas áreas da cultura e da comunicação no Brasil e América Latina, abrangendo temas como a diversidade cultural, cidadania, expressões das culturas populares, artes, mídias alternativas, epistemologia e metodologia em cultura e comunicação

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data