Evolutionary systems biology of virus-host interactions

The evolution of virus-host interactions occurs at multiple levels of biological complexity, such as organismal, genetic, and molecular levels. In the first part of this study, the evolution of associations between herpesviruses (HVs) and theirhosts are examined across more than 400 million years. Recent studies have been demonstrating that cospeciations are not always the main event driving HV evolution, asinterhost speciations and host switches also play important roles. The present study shows that more than topological incongruences, mismatches on divergence times are the main source of disagreements between host and viral phylogenies, which reveals host switches, intrahost speciations and viral losses along the evolution of HVs. Herpesviruses have large genomes encoding dozens of proteins. Apart from amino acid substitutions, these viruses also evolve by acquiring, duplicating and losing protein domains. Although the domain repertoires of HVs differ across species, a core set of domains is shared among all of them. This second part of this study reveals that 28 out 41 core domains encoded by HV ancestors are still found in present-day repertoires, which over time were expanded by domain gains and duplications. Distinct evolutionary strategies led HVs to developed very specific domain repertoires, which may explain their host range and tissue tropism, and provide hints on the origins of herpesviruses. Despite the fact that most mutations in proteins are deleterious, few of them end up improving viral fitness and defining how viruses interact with their hosts. By using an integrative approach, the third part of this study investigates the evolution of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) involving the membrane proteins Nectins, and the herpesviral envelope glycoproteins D/G. By means of ancestral sequence reconstruction and homology modelling, ancestral structures of these protein complexes were generated, and analysis of their interaction energies revealed important differences of binding affinity along their evolution.Open Acces

Thermal properties of a solid through q-deformed algebra

We address the study of the thermodynamics of a crystalline solid by applying q-deformed algebras. We based part of our study by considering both Einstein and Debye models. We have mainly explored the q-deformed thermal and electric conductivities as a function of the Debye specific heat. The results led to the interpretation of the q-deformation acting as a factor of disorder or impurity modifying the characteristics of a crystalline structure as, for example, in the case of semiconductors.Comment: 8 pages, twocolumn, 12 figures, Latex, version to appear in Physica

Formação de professores polivalentes em cursos de Pedagogia: O que diz o currículo prescrito?

The present text was constructed to analyze, based on the official curriculum dimension (the prescribed curriculum), the positioning of the training of generalist teachers in the Pedagogy degree programs of the State University of Rio Grande do Norte (UERN) and the Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid (UFERSA). The research utilized a qualitative approach and relied on documentary analysis as a data production technique, considering three dimensions: a) Total and specific workload for the training of generalist teachers; b) Curriculum components aimed at the training of generalist teachers to teach the subjects of the school curriculum in the early years of Elementary Education; and c) Curriculum contents for the training of generalist teachers. In conclusion, it can be inferred that the curriculum contents articulated in the syllabi of the courses designed for the training of generalist teachers in the early years of Elementary Education in both higher education institutions demonstrate a significant alignment and attention to the specificity of the knowledge of the disciplinary area in which they are situated, contributing to their reflection from a pedagogical perspective. However, it is believed that such curriculum contents are insufficient for the formative processes due to the limited time available for study.El texto en pantalla se construyó con el objetivo de analizar, desde la dimensión curricular oficial (el plan de estudios prescrito), cómo se sitúa la formación de maestros polivalentes en los Proyectos Pedagógicos de los Cursos de Licenciatura en Pedagogía de la Universidad del Estado de Río Grande do Norte (UERN) y de la Universidad Federal Rural del Semiárido (UFERSA). La investigación utilizó un enfoque cualitativo y se basó en el análisis documental como técnica de producción de datos, considerando tres dimensiones: a) Carga horaria total y específica para la Formación de Maestros Polivalentes; b) Componentes curriculares dirigidos a la formación de maestros polivalentes para su desempeño en la enseñanza de las materias del currículo escolar en los primeros años de la Educación Primaria y c) Contenidos curriculares para la formación de maestros polivalentes. En conclusión, se puede inferir que los contenidos curriculares textualizados en los programas de las asignaturas diseñadas para la formación de maestros polivalentes en los primeros años de la Educación Primaria, en ambas instituciones de educación superior, muestran una notable aproximación y atención a la particularidad del conocimiento del área disciplinaria en la que se insertan, contribuyendo a su reflexión desde una perspectiva pedagógica. Sin embargo, se considera que dichos contenidos curriculares resultan insuficientes en relación con los procesos formativos debido al escaso período de tiempo disponible para el estudio.O texto em tela se construiu com o objetivo de analisar, a partir da dimensão curricular oficial (o currículo prescrito), como está situada a formação de professores polivalentes nos Projetos Pedagógicos dos Cursos de licenciatura em Pedagogia da Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (UERN) e da Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (UFERSA). A pesquisa fez uso da abordagem qualitativa, ancorou-se na análise documental como técnica de produção de dados considerando três dimensões: a) Carga horária total e específica para a Formação de Professores Polivalentes; b) Componentes curriculares direcionados à formação de professores polivalentes para atuação no ensino das disciplinas do currículo escolar nos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental e c) Conteúdos curriculares para a formação de professores polivalentes. Em conclusão, pode-se inferir que os conteúdos curriculares textualizados nas ementas das disciplinas concebidas para a formação de professores polivalentes nos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental, em ambas as instituições de ensino superior, demonstram uma notável aproximação e atenção à particularidade do conhecimento da área disciplinar em que se inserem, contribuindo para a sua reflexão sob a ótica pedagógica. Contudo, é de opinião que tais conteúdos curriculares se revelam insuficientes em relação aos processos formativos, devido ao escasso período de tempo disponível para o estudo

IMPACTOS MACROECONÔMICOS NA VARIAÇÃO REGIONAL DA OFERTA DE CRÉDITO

This article is part of a research agenda in the financial aspects of regional development. Although this is not a new agenda, it is possible to say that it is not consolidate yet. The paper aims to analyze how distinct macroeconomic environment could affect the variation of credit among regions. Two very distinct periods of the brazilain economy are analyzed: the year of 1994, which could characterized by the monetary stabilization and by the economic growth based on the internal market performance; and the year of 2004, which is characterized by the economic growth based on the performance of external market. Thought the shif-share analyzes of the regional distribution of the variation of credit, it is showed that the economic growth based on the internal market is more favorable to the redistribution of the regional credit if it is compared with the economic growth based on the external market. This outcome shad lights on the debate over what is the best type of economic growth to tackle the regional imbalances.

Estudo taxonômico das espécies de Myleinae (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae) dos trechos alto e médio do Rio Tocantins, com a descrição de uma nova espécie

The subfamily Myleinae was initially proposed by Eigenmann, 1903 with the name Mylesinaeto house herbivorous serrasalmids. The subfamily Myleinae is comprised of nine genera [Acnodon Eigenmann 1903, Mylesinus Valenciennes 1850, Myleus Müller & Troschel 1844, Myloplus Gill 1896, Ossubtus Jégu 1992, Paramyloplus Norman 1929, Prosomyleus Géry 1972, Tometes Valenciennes 1850 and Utiaritichthys Miranda Ribeiro 1937] and 39 valid species. The present study morphologically analyzed the species of the subfamily Myleinae sensu Kolmann et al., 2020 from the upper and middle reaches of the Tocantins River basin, and diagnosed nine species for the studied stretch [Acnodon normani Gosline, 1951; Mylesinuspaucisquamatus Jégu & Santos, 1988; Myleus setiger Müller & Troschel, 1844; Myloplus arnoldi Ahl, 1936; Myloplus asterias Müller & Troschel, 1844; Myloplus rubripinnis Müller &Troschel, 1844; Tometes ancylorhynchus Andrade et al., 2016 and Tometes siderocarajensis Andrade et al., 2017] one not yet described (Myloplus sp. n “anal macula”). Of the nominal species diagnosed, four were originally described for the Tocantins-Araguaia basin [Acnodon normani, Mylesinus paucisquamatus, Tometes ancylorhynchus and Tometes siderocarajensis],and M. paucisquamatus and T. siderocarajensis are endemic to the Tocantins-Araguaia basin. T. ancylorhynchus and T. siderocarajensis were described for the lower portion of the basin, this being the first record of the two species in the upper and middle portions of the basin. An identification key for all diagnosed species is provided.A subfamília Myleinae foi inicialmente proposta por Eigenmann, 1903 com a denominação de Mylesinae para abrigar os serrasalmideos herbívoros. A subfamília Myleinae é compreendida por nove gêneros [Acnodon Eigenmann 1903, Mylesinus Valenciennes 1850, Myleus Müller & Troschel 1844, Myloplus Gill 1896, Ossubtus Jégu 1992, Paramyloplus Norman 1929, Prosomyleus Géry 1972, Tometes Valenciennes 1850 e Utiaritichthys Miranda Ribeiro 1937]e 39 espécies válidas. O presente estudo analisou morfologicamente as espécies da subfamília Myleinae sensu Kolmann et al., 2020 dos trechos alto e médio da bacia do rio Tocantins, e diagnosticou nove espécies para o trecho estudado [Acnodon normani Gosline, 1951; Mylesinuspaucisquamatus Jégu & Santos, 1988; Myleus setiger Müller & Troschel, 1844; Myloplus arnoldi Ahl, 1936; Myloplus asterias Müller & Troschel, 1844; Myloplus rubripinnis Müller & Troschel, 1844; Tometes ancylorhynchus Andrade et al., 2016 e Tometes siderocarajensis Andrade et al., 2017] sedo uma ainda não descrita (Myloplus sp. n “mácula-anal”). Das espécies nominais diagnosticadas, quatro foram descritas originalmente para a bacia Tocantins-Araguaia [Acnodon normani, Mylesinus paucisquamatus, Tometes ancylorhynchus e Tometes siderocarajensis], sendo que M. paucisquamatus e T. siderocarajensis são endêmicas para a bacia Tocantins-Araguaia. T. ancylorhynchus e T. siderocarajensis foram descritas para a porção baixa da bacia, sendo esse o primeiro registro das duas espécies nas porções alta e médiada bacia. Uma chave de identificação para todas as espécies diagnosticadas é fornecida

Instabilities in asymmetric nuclear matter

The existence of phase transitions from liquid to gas phases in asymmetric nuclear matter (ANM) is related with the instability regions which are limited by the spinodals. In this work we investigate the instabilities in ANM described within relativistic mean field hadron models, both with constant and density dependent couplings at zero and finite temperatures. In calculating the proton and neutron chemical potentials we have used an expansion in terms of Bessel functions that is convenient at low densities. The role of the isovector scalar $\delta$-meson is also investigated in the framework of relativistic mean field models and density dependent hadronic models. It is shown that the main differences occur at finite temperature and large isospin asymmetry close to the boundary of the instability regions.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures; to appear in Phys. Rev.

Um novo aplicativo educacional para o estudo de juros simples e compostos.

In view of the increasing technological advances, especially with regard to the mobile technology, and specifically the use of the phone as a resource in school education, the question defined guideline for this work: how to develop an application that can be used on mobile for the study of simple and compound interest? This work aimed to develop an educational application through the platform MIT App Inventor who can be useful in the study of financial mathematics topics, related to simple and compound interest. To this end, initially were carried out searches for references on mobile technology, use of ICTs in education and the importance of financial mathematics to the formation of the student/citizen. Later, for creating an application for mobile phones with Android operating system, in which we opted for the use of the platform MIT App Inventor, with the aid of tutorials available, on its Web site. Given the importance of the subject, it is essential to the development of new applications that can serve as resources to teachers in the teaching of mathematics and that may encourage students to develop skills and abilities in order to meet the different demands of knowledge needed for decision making regarding the use of the money conscious. Anyway, as a result of this work was to create an educational application for mobile devices that can complement the teaching and enhance learning in interactive, dynamic and constructive.Tendo em vista os crescentes avanços tecnológicos, principalmente no que se refere à tecnologia móvel, e em específico a utilizaçã o do celular como recurso na Educaçã o Escolar, definiu-se a seguinte questã o diretriz para esse trabalho: como desenvolver um aplicativo que possa ser usado no celular para o estudo de juros simples e composto? Este trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver um aplicativo educacional por meio da plataforma MIT App Inventor que possa ser útil no estudo de tópicos de matemática financeira, relacionados a juros simples e compostos. Para tanto, inicialmente foram realizadas pesquisas por referências sobre a tecnologia móvel, uso das TICs na educaçã o e a importância da matemática financeira para a formaçã o do aluno/cidadã o. Posteriormente, partiu-se para a criaçã o de um aplicativo para celulares com sistema operacional Android, na qual optou-se pela utilizaçã o da plataforma MIT App Inventor, com auxílio de tutoriais disponíveis na mesma, em seu site. Dada à importância do tema, considera-se que é essencial o desenvolvimento de novos aplicativos que possam servir de recursos aos professores no ensino de Matemática e que possam estimular os alunos a desenvolverem competências e habilidades, a fim de atender as diferentes demandas de conhecimentos necessários para a tomada de decisã o quanto ao uso do dinheiro de forma consciente. Enfim, como resultado deste trabalho foi possível criar um aplicativo educacional para dispositivos móveis que pode auxiliar o ensino e potencializar a aprendizagem de maneira interativa, dinâmica e construtiva

Viajar e punir : processos interacionais e discursivos para (des)construção de cidadania(s) na companhia do metropolitano do Distrito Federal

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Letras, Departamento de Linguística, Línguas Clássicas e Vernáculas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Linguística, 2015.Esta dissertação propõe-se a investigar o(s) discurso(s) de cidadania(s) veiculado(s) pelo Metrô-DF em seus espaços coletivos e a compreensão desse(s) discurso(s) pelos usuários, a partir de processos interacionais. Retoma, nessa perspectiva, mas não se limita ao binômio vigiar e punir, proposto por Foucault (2004), em relação à normatização do discurso de cidadania por meio de sua materialização no Decreto 26.516 (DISTRITO FEDERAL, 2005), que rege os direitos e deveres dos usuários, bem como trata da distribuição desse discurso por meio de mensagens verbais e não verbais. Assenta-se na sociolinguística interacional (GOFFMAN, 1967) e (GUMPERZ, 1982), mas é interdisciplinar à semiótica social (KRESS; VAN LEEUWEN, 1996) e à análise de discurso crítica (FAIRCLOUGH, 2001; HALLIDAY, 2004). Além disso, este estudo tem orientações etnográficas e fundamenta-se, além das reflexões do pesquisador, na reflexão dos próprios colaboradores sobre os dados gerados, ou seja, constitui pesquisa êmica/ética. Como instrumentos de pesquisa, utilizaram-se observação participante, grupo focal e entrevista individual. As análises dos dados gerados fundamentaram-se na análise documental, na análise de clusters, nos critérios analíticos propostos por Fairclough, e nas funções da linguagem de Halliday a fim de acessar, linguisticamente, os sentidos discursivos sobre cidadania dos usuários e da instituição nas interações. As análises revelaram que o discurso de cidadania veiculado pelo Metrô-DF sustenta-se no discurso contemporâneo sobre higiene e segurança. Esse discurso articula-se a uma perspectiva educacional para com os usuários, que apresentaram conceitos antagônicos em relação à maioria dos informes. Esse contraste revelou práticas sociais, que, muitas vezes, estão associadas a mal entendidos, nas interações, nessa instituição. Além disso, foi possível compreender que, em relação à transposição do Decreto 26.516 para os informes visuais (outros gêneros textuais), o que parece se articular a uma tentativa de atingir as massas, houve processo de ressemiotização, o que modificou a função comunicativa nas interações, que passaram a ser direcionadas aos usuários por meio de linguagem menos impositiva. No entanto, o estudo proposto por meio desta dissertação revelou que esse processo configura-se, a respeito do sentido do discurso educacional de cidadania veiculado pela instituição, ineficaz em relação ao seu público-alvo. Esta dissertação é, portanto, uma contribuição linguística para futuras pesquisas sobre cidadania na Capital Federal.This study aimed to investigate citizenship speeches enunciated by the institution Metro-DF in its public spaces, and how social actors, in this context, comprehend, through discursive and interactional process, citizenships concepts. Recovered in this perspective, but not limited to it, is the binomial “discipline and punishment” proposed by Michel Foucault (2004), concerning to the regulation of these speeches through its materialization in the Enactment 26.516 (DISTRITO FEDERAL, 2005), that rules on the rights and duties of social actors, as well as the display of these speeches through verbal and non-verbal messages. This study is based on interactional sociolinguistics (GOFFMAN, 1967), but is interdisciplinary with social semiotics (KRESS; VAN LEEUWEN, 1996) and critical discourse analysis (FAIRCLOUGH, 2001; HALLIDAY, 2004). Furthermore, this study has ethnographic orientation and is based on the reflection of the collaborators themselves on the donated data generated, therefore it is an emic research. Research tools used in this study were: participant observation, focus groups and individual interviews. In addition, this study has ethnographic guidelines and is based, in addition to the reflections of the researcher, in the reflection of the social actors, which depend on this vehicles, about the data generated, which means it is an emic/ethical research. The research tools used were participant observation, focus groups and individual interviews. The analyses of the data generated were based on the documentary analysis, the cluster analysis, the critical discursive analysis (proposed by Fairclough), and the language functions (proposed by Halliday) to access, linguistically, the meanings of citizenship speeches enunciated by the institution and the interactional meanings of social actors in this context. The analysis revealed that the discourse of citizenship conveyed by Metro-DF is related to the contemporary discourse on health and safety. This discourse is articulated to an educational perspective towards social actors, which showed antagonistic concepts in relation to most reports. This contrast also revealed social practices, which often are associated with misunderstandings in the interactions. Furthermore, it was possible to understand that, in relation to the implementation of Decree 26,516 for the visually reports (other genres), which seems to be linked to an attempt to reach the masses, occurred a ressemiotization, a process that modified the communicative function in interactions, with the intention to forceful language. However, the study proposed by this thesis has shown that this process is configured, about the educational discourse meaning of citizenship conveyed by the institution, ineffective in relation to its target audience. This thesis is, therefore sociolinguistic contribution for future researches on citizenship in the urban context of the Federal District