A economia da pecuária na Amazônia oriental

Este trabalho é uma simulação econômica de operações pecuárias em grande escala na Bacia Amazônica, as quais receberam linhas de crédito subsidiado e incentivos fiscais de vários tipos. Nosso estudo analisa a lucratividade de operações de bovinocultura sob quatro tecnologias de produção, sob preços variáveis de insumos e produtos e a diferentes taxas de valorização da terra. O desenvolvimento da infra-estrutura e o comprometimento do governo brasileiro em integrar a regiao à economia nacional produziu uma alta generalizada nos preços das terras, contribuindo para uma dinâmica especulativa que caracterizou os mercados de terra brasileiros ao longo dos últimos vinte anos.Este estudo demonstra haver muitas condições sob as quais o investimento em pecuária na Amazônia pode ser lucrativa, embora a maioria dos cenários envolva sobrepastejo, subsídios, preços altos para o gado e baixos para os insumos, valorização da terra ou ainda combinações de todas essas condições. O que mais se destaca na simulação é o fato de o sobrepastejo ser a mais lucrativa estratégia de produção na maior parte dos cenários considerados, em virtude do rápido declínio da produtividade das pastagens na Amazônia. Estes resultados tern duas importantes implicações: primeira, que a pecuaria pode expandir-se e ser lucrativa mesmo sem subsídios, sob certos preços do produto e/ou através de uma estrat´égia de contínuo desflorestamento e sobrepastejo: segunda, que a lucratividade do investimento é aumentada em meio a contextos de maior utilização de insumos e maior produção, marcados pela presença de subsídios e/ou valorização da terra.This study is an economic simulation of large scale livestock operations in the Amazon Basin which recieved subsidized credit lines and fiscal incentives of various types. Our study analyses the profitability of livestock operations under four production technologies, under varying input and product prices, and at different rates of land appreciation. Infrastructure development, and the commitment of the Brazilian government to integrate the region into the national economy produced a generalized boom in land prices which contributed to a speculative dynamic in Brazilian land markets that has continued for the last twenty years. This study shows that there are many conditions where investment in livestock [n the Amazon can be profitable, but most of these scenarios imply either overgrazing, subsidies, conditions of high cattle prices and low input prices, land appreciation or combinations of all of these. What is most salient in the simulation is that overgrazing is the most profitable production strategy under most pricing scenarios given the rapid decline of pasture productivity in Amazonia. These results have two important implications: first, livestock activities can expand and be profitable even without subsidies under certain product prices and/or through a strategy of continued clearing and overgrazing. Second, profitability of investment is increased across more input and product contexts with subsidies and/or land appreciation

CCNE1 and survival of patients with tubo-ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma: An Ovarian Tumor Tissue Analysis consortium study

BACKGROUND: Cyclin E1 (CCNE1) is a potential predictive marker and therapeutic target in tubo-ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC). Smaller studies have revealed unfavorable associations for CCNE1 amplification and CCNE1 overexpression with survival, but to date no large-scale, histotype-specific validation has been performed. The hypothesis was that high-level amplification of CCNE1 and CCNE1 overexpression, as well as a combination of the two, are linked to shorter overall survival in HGSC. METHODS: Within the Ovarian Tumor Tissue Analysis consortium, amplification status and protein level in 3029 HGSC cases and mRNA expression in 2419 samples were investigated. RESULTS: High-level amplification (>8 copies by chromogenic in situ hybridization) was found in 8.6% of HGSC and overexpression (>60% with at least 5% demonstrating strong intensity by immunohistochemistry) was found in 22.4%. CCNE1 high-level amplification and overexpression both were linked to shorter overall survival in multivariate survival analysis adjusted for age and stage, with hazard stratification by study (hazard ratio [HR], 1.26; 95% CI, 1.08-1.47, p = .034, and HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.05-1.32, p = .015, respectively). This was also true for cases with combined high-level amplification/overexpression (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.09-1.47, p = .033). CCNE1 mRNA expression was not associated with overall survival (HR, 1.00 per 1-SD increase; 95% CI, 0.94-1.06; p = .58). CCNE1 high-level amplification is mutually exclusive with the presence of germline BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants and shows an inverse association to RB1 loss. CONCLUSION: This study provides large-scale validation that CCNE1 high-level amplification is associated with shorter survival, supporting its utility as a prognostic biomarker in HGSC

Chapter 10. Trees have Already been Invented: Carbon in Woodlands

In the developed world, discussions of climate change mitigation and adaptation tend to focus on technological solutions such as decarbonizing electric grids and regulating emissions of methane, black carbon, and so on. However, an often overlooked strategy for reaching greenhouse gas reduction targets in much of the developing world is rooted, not in new technologies, but in vegetation management. Trees and other vegetation absorb carbon as they grow and release carbon when they are burnt, so landscapes function as carbon sinks and carbon storage sites when forests are growing, on one hand, and as carbon sources when forests are cleared, on the other. Since greenhouse gas emissions from such land use changes rival emissions from the entire transport sector, trees and vegetation are essential to efforts to slow and adapt to climate change. Under the right circumstances, vegetation recovery and its carbon uptake occur quickly. Moreover, carbon uptake can be strongly affected by human management of forests; the right kinds of management can improve rates of recovery and carbon sequestration substantially. This chapter reviews carbon dynamics in mature forests, secondary forests, agroforests and tree landscapes in urban areas to point out the variability of these systems and the potential for enhancing carbon uptake and storage. Furthermore, vegetation systems have many additional benefits in the form of other environmental services, such as improving livelihoods, subsistence insurance habitat, microclimates, and water systems. Finally, by managing forests better, we can also make significant contributions to climate justice because most global forests and forested landscapes are under the stewardship of small holders

Translin Coactivates Steroidogenic Factor-1-Stimulated Transcription

Transcription of the rat P450c17 gene in Leydig cells requires steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) (NR5A1), nerve growth factor-inducible protein B (nurr77), COUP-TF, and SET. The −447/−419 region of this promoter contains two binding sites for orphan nuclear receptors that are required for activation by SF-1, nerve growth factor-inducible protein B, and cAMP. We identified a novel factor, steroidogenic factor-inducer of transcription-2, that binds to this −447/−419 region. We have now purified steroidogenic factor-inducer of transcription-2 from mouse Leydig MA-10 cells and identified it by mass spectrometry as translin, a 27-kDa protein that exerts many functions. By itself, translin cannot activate a P450c17-promoter/reporter construct in HeLa cells; however, translin increased SF-1-stimulated transcription 2-fold, indicating cooperativity between SF-1 and translin. Mutation of both SF-1 binding sites in the −447/−419 sequence eliminated activation by SF-1 and translin. Translin did not augment SF-1-stimulated transcription from all SF-1-responsive elements, suggesting that the activation is specific for the sequence of the SF-1 response element. Gel shift analysis of double- and single-stranded DNA showed that translin binds to single-stranded DNA, but its transcriptional activation is independent of DNA binding. The hinge region of SF-1 is necessary for activation by translin; deletion of hinge amino acids 170–225 in SF-1 eliminates translin’s ability to augment SF-1-dependent transcription. A translin-like protein, called translin-associated factor X, can substitute for a translin moiety; translin homomers and translin/translin-associated factor X heteromers activated SF-1-stimulated transcription equally. Thus, we have identified a new factor that works together with SF-1 to augment gene transcription in a DNA-specific fashion

Evolved Neural Networks for High Throughput Anti-HIV

Abstract—The pathway for novel lead drug discovery has many major deficiencies, the most significant of which is the astronomically large size of small molecule diversity space. Methods that increase the search efficiency and/or reduce the size of the search space, increase the rate at which useful lead compounds are identified. Artificial neural networks optimized via evolutionary computation provide a cost- and time-effective solution to this problem. Here we present results that suggest clustering of small molecules prior to neural network optimization is useful for generating models of quantitative structure-activity relationships for a set of HIV inhibitors. Using these models it is possible to prescreen compounds to separate active from inactive compounds or even actives and mildly active compounds from inactive compounds with high predictive accuracy. It is also possible to identify “human interpretable ” features from the best models that can be used for proposal and synthesis of new compounds in order to optimize potency and specificity. T I