Retrieve the lost works of Bernardino da Costa Lemos

Existiam lacunas de informação sobre o presumível desaparecimento de 11 quadros “animalistas” de Bernardino da Costa Lemos no trágico incêndio ocorrido em 1978 na Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa. Excluindo o artigo de Júlio Jesus (1928) com descrições écfrasicas-histórico-artísticas de cada uma das telas, cinquenta anos antes delas desaparecerem, Lemos subsiste na generalidade da historiografia como um modesto pintor que floresceu em final de setecentos, discípulo de Joaquim Manuel da Rocha. A localização de documentos e registos imagéticos totalmente desconhecidos da obra “animalista” de Lemos impôs uma abordagem interdisciplinar de História da Arte (micro e cripto-história da arte, iconologia), Literatura (ekphrasis) e Biologia (ecologia e taxonomia). Assim, neste artigo visitamos visualmente as referidas obras mortas, revemos a biografia do “muito hábil” pintor, confirmamos o malogrado destino do conjunto e discutimos sobre a tipologia de programa artístico produzido para o Gabinete de História Natural do mecenas Frei José Mayne

Automated Discovery of Relationships, Models, and Principles in Ecology

Ecological systems are the quintessential complex systems, involving numerous high-order interactions and non-linear relationships. The most used statistical modeling techniques can hardly accommodate the complexity of ecological patterns and processes. Finding hidden relationships in complex data is now possible using massive computational power, particularly by means of artificial intelligence and machine learning methods. Here we explored the potential of symbolic regression (SR), commonly used in other areas, in the field of ecology. Symbolic regression searches for both the formal structure of equations and the fitting parameters simultaneously, hence providing the required flexibility to characterize complex ecological systems. Although the method here presented is automated, it is part of a collaborative human-machine effort and we demonstrate ways to do it. First, we test the robustness of SR to extreme levels of noise when searching for the species-area relationship. Second, we demonstrate how SR can model species richness and spatial distributions. Third, we illustrate how SR can be used to find general models in ecology, namely new formulas for species richness estimators and the general dynamic model of oceanic island biogeography. We propose that evolving free-form equations purely from data, often without prior human inference or hypotheses, may represent a very powerful tool for ecologists and biogeographers to become aware of hidden relationships and suggest general theoretical models and principles.Peer reviewe

A combined approach for comparative exoproteome analysis of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis

Background: Bacterial exported proteins represent key components of the host-pathogen interplay. Hence, we sought to implement a combined approach for characterizing the entire exoproteome of the pathogenic bacterium Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, the etiological agent of caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) in sheep and goats. Results: An optimized protocol of three-phase partitioning (TPP) was used to obtain the C. pseudotuberculosis exoproteins, and a newly introduced method of data-independent MS acquisition (LC-MSE) was employed for protein identification and label-free quantification. Additionally, the recently developed tool SurfG+ was used for in silico prediction of sub-cellular localization of the identified proteins. In total, 93 different extracellular proteins of C. pseudotuberculosis were identified with high confidence by this strategy; 44 proteins were commonly identified in two different strains, isolated from distinct hosts, then composing a core C. pseudotuberculosis exoproteome. Analysis with the SurfG+ tool showed that more than 75% (70/93) of the identified proteins could be predicted as containing signals for active exportation. Moreover, evidence could be found for probable non-classical export of most of the remaining proteins. Conclusions: Comparative analyses of the exoproteomes of two C. pseudotuberculosis strains, in addition to comparison with other experimentally determined corynebacterial exoproteomes, were helpful to gain novel insights into the contribution of the exported proteins in the virulence of this bacterium. The results presented here compose the most comprehensive coverage of the exoproteome of a corynebacterial species so far

Genetically encoded sender-receiver system in 3D mammalian cell culture

Engineering spatial patterning in mammalian cells, employing entirely genetically encoded components, requires solving several problems. These include how to code secreted activator or inhibitor molecules and how to send concentration-dependent signals to neighboring cells, to control gene expression. The Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell line is a potential engineering scaffold as it forms hollow spheres (cysts) in 3D culture and tubulates in response to extracellular hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). We first aimed to graft a synthetic patterning system onto single developing MDCK cysts. We therefore developed a new localized transfection method to engineer distinct sender and receiver regions. A stable reporter line enabled reversible EGFP activation by HGF and modulation by a secreted repressor (a truncated HGF variant, NK4). By expanding the scale to wide fields of cysts, we generated morphogen diffusion gradients, controlling reporter gene expression. Together, these components provide a toolkit for engineering cell-cell communication networks in 3D cell culture.Centro Regional de Estudios Genómico

Porta-enxertos para laranjeira 'Pera' recomendados para o polo citrícola dos Tabuleiros Costeiros da Bahia e de Sergipe.

bitstream/item/218641/1/COT-231-20-Luciana-v2.pd

ANALISE TÉCNICA VERSUS HIPÓTESE DOS MERCADOS EFICIENTES: UM ESTUDO UTILIZANDO O INDICADOR MACD

Este trabalho testa a estratégia de investimento, pertencente à análise técnica, denominada Moving Average Convergence/Divergence – MACD, em 28 ações da Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo no período de julho de 1994 a julho de 2003. Verificou-se, após serem levados em conta os custos de transação, que, apesar da obtenção de 10 retornos superiores à estratégia passiva, nenhum deles foi estatisticamente significante. Observou-se, contudo, uma correlação negativa entre a liquidez da ação em bolsa e o valor da estatística t de Student para a diferença entre os retornos obtidos via MACD e a estratégia passiva correspondente. Isto dá suporte à idéia de que quanto mais (menos) eficiente é o mercado de ações, menos (mais) eficiente é a estratégia MACD. Palavras-chave: Análise técnica. MACD. Mercados eficientes

Standardised inventories of spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) of Macaronesia I : The native forests of the Azores (Pico and Terceira islands)

Background The data presented here come from samples collected as part of two recent research projects (NETBIOME - ISLANDBIODIV and FCT - MACDIV) which aimed at understanding the drivers of community assembly in Macaronesian islands. We applied the sampling protocol COBRA (Conservation Oriented Biodiversity Rapid Assessment, Cardoso 2009) in sixteen 50 m x 50 m native forest plots in the Azorean Islands of Pico (6 plots) and Terceira (10 plots) to assess spider diversity. Through this publication, we contribute to the knowledge of the arachnofauna of the Azores and, more specifically, to that of the islands of Pico and Terceira. New information The collected samples yielded 8,789 specimens, of which 45% were adults (3,970) belonging to 13 families, 36 species and three morphospecies that have yet to be described. Species of the family Linyphiidae dominated the samples, with 17 species and two morphospecies that have yet to be described (48% of the taxa). Out of the identified (morpho) species, 16 were introduced, 13 Azorean endemic (three of which were undescribed) and seven native (five of them Macaronesian endemics). We report the first record of the introduced species Haplodrassus signifer and Agyneta decora in Pico Island.Peer reviewe

Search for microwave emission from ultrahigh energy cosmic rays

We present a search for microwave emission from air showers induced by ultrahigh energy cosmic rays with the microwave detection of air showers experiment. No events were found, ruling out a wide range of power flux and coherence of the putative emission, including those suggested by recent laboratory measurements.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Response to comment on 'Amphibian fungal panzootic causes catastrophic and ongoing loss of biodiversity'

Lambert et al. question our retrospective and holistic epidemiological assessment of the role of chytridiomycosis in amphibian declines. Their alternative assessment is narrow and provides an incomplete evaluation of evidence. Adopting this approach limits understanding of infectious disease impacts and hampers conservation efforts. We reaffirm that our study provides unambiguous evidence that chytridiomycosis has affected at least 501 amphibian species

3D papillary image capturing by the stereo fundus camera system for clinical diagnosis on retina and optic nerve

Glaucoma is the second main cause of the blindness in the world and there is a tendency to increase this number due to\ud the lifetime expectation raise of the population. Glaucoma is related to the eye conditions, which leads the damage to the\ud optic nerve. This nerve carries visual information from eye to brain, then, if it has damage, it compromises the visual\ud quality of the patient. In the majority cases the damage of the optic nerve is irreversible and it happens due to increase of\ud intraocular pressure. One of main challenge for the diagnosis is to find out this disease, because any symptoms are not\ud present in the initial stage. When is detected, it is already in the advanced stage. Currently the evaluation of the optic disc\ud is made by sophisticated fundus camera, which is inaccessible for the majority of Brazilian population. The purpose of\ud this project is to develop a specific fundus camera without fluorescein angiography and red-free system to accomplish 3D\ud image of optic disc region. The innovation is the new simplified design of a stereo-optical system, in order to make\ud capable the 3D image capture and in the same time quantitative measurements of excavation and topography of optic\ud nerve; something the traditional fundus cameras do not do. The dedicated hardware and software is developed for this\ud ophthalmic instrument, in order to permit quick capture and print of high resolution 3D image and videos of optic disc\ud region (20° field-of-view) in the mydriatic and nonmydriatic mode.CNPqFAPESP (13/22940-5