A social and ecological assessment of tropical land uses at multiple scales: the Sustainable Amazon Network

Science has a critical role to play in guiding more sustainable development trajectories. Here, we present the Sustainable Amazon Network (Rede Amazonia Sustentavel, RAS): a multidisciplinary research initiative involving more than 30 partner organizations working to assess both social and ecological dimensions of land-use sustainability in eastern Brazilian Amazonia. The research approach adopted by RAS offers three advantages for addressing land-use sustainability problems: (i) the collection of synchronized and co-located ecological and socioeconomic data across broad gradients of past and present human use; (ii) a nested sampling design to aid comparison of ecological and socioeconomic conditions associated with different land uses across local, landscape and regional scales; and (iii) a strong engagement with a wide variety of actors and non-research institutions. Here, we elaborate on these key features, and identify the ways in which RAS can help in highlighting those problems in most urgent need of attention, and in guiding improvements in land-use sustainability in Amazonia and elsewhere in the tropics. We also discuss some of the practical lessons, limitations and realities faced during the development of the RAS initiative so far.Keywords: Social–ecological systems, Tropical forests, Land use, Interdisciplinary research, Sustainability, Trade-off

Towards Understanding How Software Startups Deal with UX from Customer and User Information

Customer-centric strategies can help startups move towards successful and sustainable businesses. User eXperience (UX) has been considered a critical factor in creating value for the customers and users of startups. Software startups often collect data about the experience with the product from users. However, obtaining valuable insights to improve the UX from customer and user information can be challenging for startup professionals. In this paper, we present a multiple-case study conducted with Brazilian software startups in which we investigated how these companies deal with customer and user information. To collect data, we conducted semi-structured interviews and retrospective meetings with 28 professionals from the four startups. We found that the startups still need to improve their strategies to leverage customer and user information insights for continuous product improvement, including improving communication channels and adopting metrics to assess customer value creation and product success. As a result, this study can motivate startup professionals to reflect on the most efficient practices for collecting and managing UX information to improve their products and measure value creation

Strongyloides stercoralis in Alcoholic Patients: Implications of Alcohol Intake in the Frequency of Infection and Parasite Load

Strongyloides stercoralis infection in immunocompromised subjects, including chronic alcoholics, can lead to a severe disease. Moreover, its prevalence in alcoholic patients seems to be higher than that in the general population. The aims of this study were to evaluate the frequency of S. stercoralis infection in alcoholic patients and to investigate the influence of alcohol intake on the parasite load, as well as to evaluate the sensitivity of three different parasitological methods according to the larval output. Fecal samples of 1290 chronic alcoholic patients were examined by spontaneous sedimentation, Baermann–Moraes, and agar plate culture (APC) methods. S. stercoralis was the most frequent parasite found (14.5%; n = 187). Alcoholic individuals infected with Strongyloides stercoralis had a higher daily consumption of alcohol than those who were not infected, 528.6 and 403.0 g/day, respectively (p < 0.05). In addition, individuals with higher alcohol intake presented an increase in parasite load. The S. stercoralis diagnostic method with the highest sensitivity was APC, 97.9% (183/187). In conclusion, S. stercoralis seems to be the most frequent parasite found in alcoholic individuals from endemic areas and alcohol intake is positively associated with S. stercoralis larvae output. In addition, this study confirms that APC is the most sensitive parasitological method used for Strongyloides diagnosis

Treatment of human acute schistosomiasis with oxamniquine induces an increase in interferon-γ response to Schistosoma mansoni antigens

Patients with acute schistosomiasis were studied before and after oxamniquine treatment. They had been exposed to cercariae 5 to 9 weeks before, and presented compatible clinical manifestations, eosinophilia, and high levels of total IgE. Interferon-g (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 were measured by ELISA in whole blood samples under soluble egg antigen or soluble adult worm preparation stimulation. After treatment, the reduction of leukocytosis and eosinophilia were not significant, but total IgE levels decreased significantly, in contrast to IFN-γ levels that were significantly increased. The oxamniquine treatment of acute schistosomiasis patients is followed by an improvement of a Th1 response in vitro. If this response has a protective aspect is unknown, and some investigations need to be realized

Evaluation of tests based on the antibody response to keyhole limpet haemocyanin and soluble egg antigen to differentiate acute and chronic human schistosomiasis mansoni

Specific IgG and IgM responses to soluble egg antigen (SEA) and keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH) were measured by ELISA in patients with acute and chronic schistosomiasis. The tests based upon IgM and IgG antibodies responses to KLH presented the best diagnostic discrimination, and can be used in conjunction with clinical and epidemiological data to the differential diagnosis of acute schistosomiasis