Toxicological effects of ciprofloxacin and chlorhexidine on growth and chlorophyll a synthesis of freshwater cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria are phytoplanktonic microorganisms that are susceptible to the deleterious effects of pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic environment, which poses a challenge to the environment exposed to diverse pharmaceutical products and their potential effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the antibiotic substances ciprofloxacin and chlorhexidine in pharmaceutical preparations on the growth and production of chlorophyll of two cyanobacterial strains, Microcystis aeruginosa and Microcystis panniformis, isolated from a lake in a Brazilian environmental protection area. The EC50 and EC10 of chlorhexidine for M. aeruginosa were 206.4 μg/L and 108.5 μg/L, respectively, and for M. panniformis were 171.4 μg/L and 116.6 μg/L, respectively. The EC50 and EC10 of ciprofloxacin for M. aeruginosa were 17.24 μg/L and 3.21 μg/L, respectively, and for M. panniformis were 13.56 μg/L and 1.50 μg/L, respectively. The toxicity of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (drug) and chlorhexidine (standard solution) to the Microcystis species was demonstrated, and these species were both very sensitive to ciprofloxacin. Our results suggest that the strains of M. aeruginosa and M. panniformis may be affected by exposure to residues of ciprofloxacin (>1.5 μg/L), which may represent a risk to the survival of aquatic species

Percepção ambiental dos moradores de São José do Goaibal sobre o parque estadual do Rio Doce:A influência das variáveis gênero, idade, classe social e escolaridade

O Parque Estadual do Rio Doce (PERD) foi a primeira unidade de conservação criada em Minas Gerais e é uma das maiores áreas remanescentes de Mata Atlântica no país. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar em São José do Goiabal, município circunvizinho ao parque, a percepção dos moradores sobre o PERD analisando, através de entrevistas semi-estruturadas, a influência de diferentes variáveis. Os dados mostraram que gênero, classe social e idade não determinam a frequência de visitação. A caça a animais silvestres mostrou-se como prática comum, reconhecida pela população e motivada principalmente pelo lazer e apreciação da carne. O desenvolvimento de projetos de Educação Ambiental envolvendo alunos da rede básica de educação é o fator que mais influencia no conhecimento e valorização do PERD. Tais constatações sugerem a necessidade da implantação de programas de educação ambiental voltados principalmente para crianças e jovens, tornando-os parceiros dos propósitos de conservação da biodiversidade na região

Post-drought leads to increasing metabolic rates in the surface waters of a natural tropical lake

As hotspots of the global carbon cycle, lakes can regulate climate change while being regulated by it via a feedback loop. As ecosystem metabolism is considered to be a sentinel to these changes, we used high-frequency measurements and the inverse modeling approach to study the temporal dynamic of gross primary production (GPP), respiration (R), and net ecosystem production (NEP) at surface waters of a tropical lake, which lost about 60% of its volume in almost 10 years. This water loss and the return of the average rainfall led to an increased concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, and dissolved organic carbon and decreased water transparency and light availability. During the post-drought period, epilimnetic GPP increased by 40% compared with the pre-drought period, and R surpassed GPP during the mixing period of the lake. We discuss that this modification results from higher carbon and nutrient concentrations, lower light availability, and a change in the lake stratification pattern. Surface water metabolism changed due to meteorological and hydrological drought, and it may continue to change under the ongoing variation in rainfall patterns, temperature, and human disturbances

AUTOMATIC METHOD FOR GLAUCOMA CLASSIFICATION USING TEXTURE ANALYSIS, XGBOOST AND GRID SEARCH

Glaucoma is an irreversible pathology, generated by increased intraocular pressure. Early detection is critical and can pre- vent total vision loss. Clinical examinations are commonly used to detect the disease. Still, the time and cost of identi- fication is quite high. This paper presents a computational methodology that aims to assist specialists in the discov- ery of glaucoma through Computer Vision techniques. The proposed methodology consists in the application of several texture descriptors combined with a parameter optimiza- tion done through Grid search with the XGBoost classifier. A result was obtained with accuracy of 82.37% and ROC of 82.08%

Prediction of carcass rib eye area by ultrasound images in sheep using computer vision

ABSTRACT: The present research created a tool to measure ultrasound images of the rib eye area in sheep. One hundred twenty-one ultrasound images of sheep were captured, with regions of interest segmented using the U-Net algorithm. The metrics adopted to evaluate automatic segmentations were Dicescore and intersection over union. Finally, a regression analysis was performed using the AdaBoost Regressor and Random Forest Regressor algorithms and the fit of the models was evaluated using the Mean Square Residuals, mean absolute error and coefficient of determination. The values obtained for the Dice metric were 0.94, and for Intersection over Union it was 0.89, demonstrating a high similarity between the actual and predicted values, ranging from 0 to 1. The values of Mean Quadratic Residuals, mean absolute error and coefficient The determination of the regressor models indicated the best fit for the Random Forest Regressor. The U-Net algorithm efficiently segmented ultrasound images of the Longissimus Dorsi muscle, with greater precision than the measurements performed by the specialist. This efficient segmentation allowed the standardization of rib eye area measurements and, consequently, the phenotyping of beef sheep on a large scale

PLANTIO DE ESPÉCIES ARBÓREAS NATIVAS: UMA ALTERNATIVA PARA A MELHORIA NAS CONDIÇÕES SOCIOAMBIENTAIS DO MUNICÍPIO DE SÃO GABRIEL-RS

A presença de áreas arborizadas reflete em benefícios tanto de caráter ecológico, quanto funcional e psicológico, pois as árvores urbanas oferecem alimentos para a avifauna, controle da poluição do ar e de ruídos, além de tranquilidade, harmonia e paz. O trabalho relata as ações do projeto de extensão “Onde há verde, há vida!”, cujo objetivo principal consiste em contribuir na melhoria das condições socioambientais do município de São Gabriel (Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil), através da produção e plantio de mudas arbóreas nativas da flora brasileira, em parceria com a comunidade gabrielense. Está sendo desenvolvido na Universidade Federal do Pampa (UNIPAMPA)/campus São Gabriel, desde 2014, com a colaboração de servidores e discentes da instituição. Em 27 meses, foram produzidas 539 mudas, das quais, 202 já foram plantadas no município, incluindo propriedades particulares, área militar e instituições de ensino. No município, a iniciativa é relevante no sentido de promover o plantio de espécies arbóreas nativas da flora local ou regional, além de dar início à arborização do campus universitário. No ambiente escolar, o plantio e o acompanhamento do crescimento das mudas pelas crianças, dará suporte para ações teórico-práticas sobre educação ambiental, importantes para a formação de cidadãos comprometidos com a preservação do meio ambiente. Em 2017, o projeto seguirá, com a firmação de novas parcerias, incluindo instituições de outros municípios. Palavras-chave: Áreas Verdes, Biodiversidade, Extensão Universitária   Native tree species planting: an alternative for improving socio-environmental conditions of the municipality of São Gabriel, Brazil Abstract: The presence of green areas brings ecological, functional and psychological benefits, because the urban trees offer food for birds, control air pollution and noise, as well as reflect tranquility, harmony, and peace. This article reports the actions from the university extension project "Where there is green, there is life!" which main objective is to improve socio-environmental conditions of São Gabriel city (Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil), through the production and planting of native tree seedlings from Brazilian flora, in partnership with São Gabriel’s community. This work is being developed, since 2014, at the Universidade Federal do Pampa (UNIPAMPA)/campus São Gabriel, with the collaboration of employees and students. In 27 months, 539 seedlings were produced, of which 202 have already been planted in the city, including private properties, military area, and educational institutions. The project is a relevant initiative to the city, in order to promote the planting of native tree species from local or regional flora, in addition, it promotes the university campus arborization. In the school environment, the planting and monitoring of seedlings growth by children support theoretical and practical actions on environmental education, which is very important to the development of citizens committed to the environment preservation. In 2017, the project will continue, with new partnerships, including institutions from other cities. Keywords: Green Areas, Biodiversity, University Extension   Plantaciones de especies arbóreas nativas: una alternativa para la mejoría de las condiciones socio ambientales del municipio de São Gabriel, Brasil    Resumen: La presencia de zonas arborizadas refleja en beneficios tanto de carácter ecológico como funcional y psicológico, ya que los árboles urbanos ofrecen alimentos para la avifauna, control de la polución del aire y de ruidos, así como la tranquilidad, armonía y paz. El trabajo describe las acciones del proyecto de extensión “¡Donde hay verde, hay vida!”, cuyo objetivo principal consiste en contribuir con la mejoría de las condiciones socio ambientales del municipio de São Gabriel (estado de Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil), a través de la producción y plantío de plantones arbóreos nativos de la flora brasileña, en cooperación  con la comunidad de São Gabriel. Está siendo desarrollado en la Universidade Federal do Pampa (UNIPAMPA)/campus São Gabriel, desde 2014, con la colaboración de servidores y estudiantes de la institución. En 27 meses, se produjeron 539 plantones, de los cuales, 202 ya han sido plantados en el municipio, incluyendo propiedades privadas, área militar y las instituciones educativas. En la ciudad, la iniciativa es relevante en el sentido de promover la plantación de especies nativas de la flora local o regional, además de iniciar el proceso de arborización del campus universitario. En el entorno escolar, la plantación y el mantenimiento del crecimiento de los plantones por los niños, apoyarán las acciones teórico-prácticas sobre educación ambiental, importantes para la formación de ciudadanos comprometidos con la preservación del medio ambiente. En 2017, el proyecto va a seguir, con la adhesión de nuevas asociaciones, incluyendo instituciones de otros municipios. Palabras-clave: Zonas Verdes, Biodiversidad, Extensión Universitari

Pathogenesis of reproductive failure induced by Trypanosoma vivax in experimentally infected pregnant ewes

The present study was aimed at investigating the effect of experimental infection by Trypanosoma vivax in different stages of pregnancy, determining the pathogenesis of reproductive failure, and confirming transplacental transmission. We used 12 pregnant ewes distributed into four experimental groups: G1, was formed by three ewes infected with T. vivax in the first third of pregnancy (30 days); G2 comprised three infected ewes in the final third of pregnancy (100 days); G3 and G4 were composed of three non-infected ewes with the same gestational period, respectively. Each ewe of G1 and G2 was inoculated with 1.25 × 105 tripomastigotes. Clinical examination, determination of parasitemia, serum biochemistry (albumin, total protein, glucose, cholesterol, and urea), packed cell volume (PCV), serum progesterone, and pathological examination were performed. Placenta, amniotic fluid, blood and tissues from the fetuses and stillbirths were submitted to PCR. Two ewes of G1 (Ewe 1 and 3) presented severe infection and died in the 34th and 35th days post-infection (dpi), respectively; but both fetuses were recovered during necropsy. In G2, Ewe 5 aborted two fetuses on the 130th day (30 dpi) of pregnancy; and Ewe 6 aborted one fetus in the 140th day (40 dpi) of gestation. Ewes 2 and 4 delivered two weak lambs that died five days after birth. Factors possibly involved with the reproductive failure included high parasitemia, fever, low PCV, body score, serum glucose, total protein, cholesterol, and progesterone. Hepatitis, pericarditis, and encephalitis were observed in the aborted fetuses. The presence of T. vivax DNA in the placenta, amniotic fluid, blood, and tissues from the fetuses confirms the transplacental transmission of the parasite. Histological lesion in the fetuses and placenta also suggest the involvement of the parasite in the etiopathogenesis of reproductive failure in ewes.The authors would like to acknowledge the Federal Rural University of the Semiarid (UFERSA), University of São Paulo (USP) and Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) contribution to the provision of laboratories and the availability of the structure