Não jogue nada fora: prática da compostagem para donas de casa e pequenos agricultores

Trabalho apresentado no II Congresso Nacional do PROJETO RONDON, realizado em Florianópolis, SC, no período de 23 a 25 de setembro de 2015 - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.Os resíduos orgânicos (dejetos de animais, cascas e bagaços de frutas e caroços não comercializados, resíduos de culturas, serragem e restos de capim) geralmente são descartados junto com resíduos secos (papel, plástico, vidro etc.) e este tem sido um dos maiores problemas ambientais da atual sociedade. Uma alternativa para reduzir o descarte dos resíduos orgânicos com os resíduos secos é a pratica da compostagem. A compostagem é definida como processo biológico realizado por microrganismos que transformam matéria orgânica, seja ela de origem animal ou vegetal em um composto rico em nutrientes podendo ser facilmente incorporada ao solo. Nesse contexto, foi realizado no município de Wanderlândia - To, durante a Operação Itacaiúnas do Projeto Rondon, no período de 17 de Julho a 2 de agosto de 2015, o curso que abarcou a temática, tendo como objetivo discutir o descarte correto e reaproveitamento de materiais orgânicos na produção de adubo como também, sua utilização na produção de alimentos que eles irão consumir. Foram realizados vários momentos de aplicação, tanto na sede do município quanto nos distritos de Araçulândia, Ponta do Asfalto e no Assentamento Costa Rica, tendo sido beneficiadas 48 pessoas no total das atividades. Foi utilizado recurso visual para apresentar algumas formas de compostagem e modelos de composteiras, além de distribuída uma cartilha educativa como material de apoio as ações foram complementadas com atividades práticas junto aos participantes. A receptividade às propostas levantadas foram as melhores, o interesse em conhecer mais gerou interações e discussões, além do compartilhamento de informações estarem constantemente presentes. Foi inegável a certeza de que os assuntos abordados estavam interligados e os participantes tinham algum conhecimento sobre os mesmos. Ao final, entende-se que a atividade foi realizada com sucesso, tendo em vista os participantes terem demonstrado a vontade de (re) compartilhar as informações e colocá-las em prática nas suas comunidades, estimulando em seus vizinhos e colegas ao reuso e o descarte correto de resíduos domésticos e da produção

Gesturing on the steering wheel, a comparison with speech and touch interaction modalities

This paper compares an emergent interaction modality for the In-Vehicle Infotainment System (IVIS), i.e., gesturing on the steering wheel, with two more popular modalities in modern cars: touch and speech. We conducted a betweensubjects experiment with 20 participants for each modality to assess the interaction performance with the IVIS and the impact on the driving performance. Moreover, we compared the three modalities in terms of usability, subjective workload and emotional response. The results showed no statically significant differences between the three interaction modalities regarding the various indicators for the driving task performance, while significant differences were found in measures of IVIS interaction performance: users performed less interactions to complete the secondary tasks with the speech modality, while, in average, a lower task completion time was registered with the touch modality. The three interfaces were comparable in all the subjective metrics

Sedimentary processes in the head of the Cabo Polonio mega slide canyon (southwestern Atlantic margin off Uruguay)

The Southwestern Atlantic margin is characterized by several canyon systems incised on a huge contourite depositional system associated with the interaction of strong Antarctic water masses with the seafloor. So far, however, only one mega slide canyon (Cabo Polonio) has been described in the Uruguayan continental slope. In this work, sedimentary processes dominating the head of this mega slide canyon are described and interpreted based on the analysis of the composition (texture and fossils) and distribution of widespread gravel along its head and thalweg. This information is integrated with acoustic (multibeam and seismic) and hydrological data. Results suggest that the evolution of the head of the canyon presents retrogressive erosion related to debris and turbidity flows. This erosion is ongoing and/or has been active during the recent past and contourite deposits are involved in headwall erosion. The pathway of gravel along the canyon and the thalweg was reconstructed. The strong flow of the South Atlantic Central Water, and its interaction with the Antarctic Intermediate Water, dominates the modern hydrology, promoting highly energetic conditions enhancing headwall erosion. This work contributes to a better understanding of the sedimentary processes connected to an mega slide canyon in the upper slope off Uruguay and located in the northernmost distribution of the South Atlantic Contourite Depositional System

Occurrence of Dental Disorders in Dogs

Background: The anatomy of the canine oral cavity and its variations should be understood to facilitate clinical and surgical approaches. Several conditions can be identified during inspection of the oral cavity, including persistent deciduous teeth, enamel hypoplasia, gingival retraction, tooth abrasion and mobility, absence of dental elements, and periodontal disease. The aim of the present study was to determine the occurrence of dental disorders in dogs older than one year, from the microrregion Ilhéus - Itabuna, Bahia, Brazil. Materials, Methods &Results: A total of 74 dogs were evaluated immediately prior to surgical procedures for periodontal disease treatment. After visual inspection and examination with a millimeter probe, the dogs were classified into three groups according to the degree of periodontal disease. All other findings were recorded on an odontogram. Of the 74 dogs, 23 were classified as mild periodontal disease (mean age, 3.6 years), 26 as moderate periodontal disease (mean age, 5.7 years), and 25 as severe periodontal disease (mean age, 9.7 years). There was significant correlation (0.7 p ≤ 0.01) between age and severity of periodontal disease. Fifteen of the 74 dogs did not present any other dental disorder than periodontal disease. Of the remaining 59, nine showed a single dental problem, and 50 had more than one dental problem. Six dogs (of the breeds Pinscher, Yorkshire Terrier, and Lhasa Apso) had deciduous teeth. Of the nine deciduous teeth, all were canine (dental elements 104, 204, and 304). Ten dogs had dental fractures and of the 11 fractured teeth, three were canine (dental elements 104 and 404). Dental wear was observed in 25 dogs (154 teeth). Of the evaluated dogs, seven showed furcation defects and 10 had teeth mobility. Dental absence was observed in 47 dogs.Discussion: In the present study, increased age had a positive correlation with the degree of periodontal disease; this is consistent with reports in the literature, which indicate severity of periodontal disease increases with advancing age. In one of the three cases of enamel hypoplasia, the dog owner reported that the dog presented clinical signs compatible with distemper before the teeth changed, corroborating studies that showed that this virus can act on the enamel cells causing hypoplasia lesions. All the deciduous teeth found were dental elements 104, 204, and 304, consistent with literature reports that these teeth are among the most frequently affected by this condition. In the present paper, of all the teeth examined, the canine teeth presented the majority of fractures. Canine teeth are used for grasping and tearing food, and defense, and are more vulnerable to fractures. Dental wear was observed in many dogs in the present study, presenting as loss of dental surface caused by friction, abrasion, or erosion from a variety of causes. Dental wear may be considered as a physiological process as long as it does not compromise function. Dental mobility is an important clinical sign of periodontal disease and generates pain and discomfort to the patient; in the presence of advanced periodontitis, there is a marked loss of periodontal tissues, including alveolar bone, which is an irreversible process. As the dogs evaluated in the present study were older than one year, any absent teeth could be verified as being due to periodontal disease. In conclusion, disorders of the oral cavity have high prevalence in dogs and must receive special attention to be properly diagnosed and treated

Babesia spp. and Ehrlichia chaffeensis infection in Dogs from Southeastern Bahia, Brazil

Background: Tickborne diseases are frequent in tropical countries such as Brazil. Protozoa of the Babesia genus and bacteria of the Ehrlichia genus spread throughout the country with high prevalences in urban and rural areas, causing clinical or subclinical diseases in dogs. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of infection from Babesia spp. and Ehrlichia chaffeensis in the dog population in the municipality of Ituberá, Bahia, Brazil, and to verify the risk factors associated with the infections.Materials, Methods & Results: A cross-sectional study was conducted, consisting of the following procedures: clinical examination and blood samples collection from 380 dogs and application of a structure questionnaire to dog owners to collect epidemiological data. All dogs were evaluated for the presence of ticks and clinical signs associated with the infections. Blood samples were collected and tested for Babesia spp. through capillary blood smears, indirect immunofluorescence assays (IFAT), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR); all the samples were also tested for E. chaffeensis through nested PCR. Intra-erythrocyte piroplasms were visualized in the blood smears of two animals (2/380; 0.5%) in the cytology exams. Anti-B. canis antibodies were detected in 140/380 (36.8%) dogs, at 1:40 dilution. By PCR, 147/380 (38.7%) dogs tested positive for infection by Babesia sp., but no animal was infected by E. chaffeensis. Only 115/380 dogs (30.3%) were infested by ticks. In total, 223/380 dogs (58.7%) were found infected by Babesia spp. No clinical signs were it found to be significant for the infection. The infected (Ht = 40%) and uninfected dogs’ (Ht = 39%) hematocrit averages were not found to significantly differ (P = 0.47). No hematological changes were found to be significant for the disease. The evaluated variables sex, habitat (urban or rural), exposure to other dogs, age, and infestation by ticks were not found to be risk factors. The condition of semirestriction of 175/223 (78.4%) dogs was found as a risk factor for the infection (P = 0.01; OR = 1.75; IC 95% = 1.10-2.78).Discussion: The low detection from blood smears was inferior to the lowest prevalences found in Brazil. On the other hand, the high seroprevalence rate by IFAT observed in this study was found in other Brazilian states.  The low infection prevalence in the cytologic analysis associated with high seroprevalence are characteristics of chronic or subclinical infections. The high seroprevalence rates may also indicate chronicity and/or subclinical disease when associated with low parasitemia and may also be indicated by the low title variation observed. In this study, some dogs that tested positive for Babesia by serology tested negative in the PCR, which suggests a previously exposure to this pathogen and maintenance of detectable levels of antibodies, or that they were subclinical or chronic carriers of the infection. The equal hematocrit averages of dogs either carrying or not the disease suggests that the infected animals, especially the seemingly healthy dogs, are subclinical or chronic carriers, either asymptomatic or otherwise, that are adapted to the disease, which may contribute to the agent remaining in this population. The fact that no clinical sign of hematological change was significant for the infection may demonstrate the low pathogenicity of this agent in the evaluated population. The semi-restricted condition of the dogs as a risk factor is probably due to the increased exposure of these animals to canine babesiosis vectors during their movement through different neighborhood areas and villages in the municipality. The combination of diagnostic methods is important to identify the infection and determine its prevalence in epidemiological studies. Also, PCR was fundamental in this study, to identify the infection in asymptomatic dogs

Molecular diagnosis of Ehrlichia canis infection in dogs with uveitis

Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) is an infectious disease caused by a gram-negative bacterium Ehrlichia canis that has a high global prevalence that leads to high rates of morbidity and mortality in dogs. Among the clinical changes, ophthalmic diseases can lead to permanent blindness and it can be an important clinical sign. The objective of this study was to perform nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to diagnose E. canis infection in dogs with bilateral uveitis from the Veterinary Hospital of the Santa Cruz State University. Blood samples were collected and DNA for the molecular diagnosis was extracted from 66 adult dogs of both genders and mixed breeds diagnosed with bilateral uveitis. Thirty-five (53%) dogs showed positive results and presented with iridocyclitis, posterior uveitis, panuveitis, or uveitis with secondary glaucoma. This study demonstrates that nested PCR is an important tool for the differential diagnosis of dogs with bilateral uveitis, as it provides evidence of the infectious agent in the animal

Co-production of hydrogen and ethanol from glucose in Escherichia coli by activation of pentose-phosphate pathway through deletion of phosphoglucose isomerase (pgi) and overexpression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (zwf) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (gnd)

Background: Biologically, hydrogen (H-2) can be produced through dark fermentation and photofermentation. Dark fermentation is fast in rate and simple in reactor design, but H-2 production yield is unsatisfactorily low as < 4 mol H-2/ mol glucose. To address this challenge, simultaneous production of H-2 and ethanol has been suggested. Co-production of ethanol andH(2) requires enhanced formation of NAD(P) H during catabolism of glucose, which can be accomplished by diversion of glycolytic flux from the Embden-Meyerh-of-Parnas (EMP) pathway to the pentose-phosphate (PP) pathway in Escherichia coli. However, the disruption of pgi (phosphoglucose isomerase) for complete diversion of carbon flux to the PP pathway made E. coli unable to grow on glucose under anaerobic condition. Results: Here, we demonstrate that, when glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (Zwf) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (Gnd), two major enzymes of the PP pathway, are homologously overexpressed, E. coli.pgi can recover its anaerobic growth capability on glucose. Further, with additional deletions of Delta hycA,Delta hyaAB,Delta hybBC,Delta ldhA, and Delta frdAB, the recombinant.pgi mutant could produce 1.69 mol H-2 and 1.50 mol ethanol from 1 mol glucose. However, acetate was produced at 0.18 mol mol(-1) glucose, indicating that some carbon is metabolized through the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway. To further improve the flux via the PP pathway, heterologous zwf and gnd from Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Gluconobacter oxydans, respectively, which are less inhibited by NADPH, were overexpressed. The new recombinant produced more ethanol at 1.62 mol mol(-1) glucose along with 1.74 mol H-2 mol(-1) glucose, which are close to the theoretically maximal yields, 1.67 mol mol(-1) each for ethanol andH(2). However, the attempt to delete the ED pathway in the.pgi mutant to operate the PP pathway as the sole glycolytic route, was unsuccessful. Conclusions: By deletion of pgi and overexpression of heterologous zwf and gnd in E. coli Delta hycA Delta hyaAB Delta hybBC Delta ldhA Delta frdAB, two important biofuels, ethanol andH(2), could be successfully co-produced at high yields close to their theoretical maximums. The strains developed in this study should be applicable for the production of other biofuels and biochemicals, which requires supply of excessive reducing power under anaerobic conditions

Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics:a guide for annotation, quantification and best reporting practices

Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approaches can enable detection and quantification of many thousands of metabolite features simultaneously. However, compound identification and reliable quantification are greatly complicated owing to the chemical complexity and dynamic range of the metabolome. Simultaneous quantification of many metabolites within complex mixtures can additionally be complicated by ion suppression, fragmentation and the presence of isomers. Here we present guidelines covering sample preparation, replication and randomization, quantification, recovery and recombination, ion suppression and peak misidentification, as a means to enable high-quality reporting of liquid chromatography– and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry-based metabolomics-derived data.</p

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure