Clonagem de fragmentos de DNA de um baculovirus patogênico à lagarta-do-álamo.

bitstream/CENARGEN/29529/1/bp205.pd

Efeito de diferentes fontes energéticas da dieta sobre a produção de metano utilizando a técnica de fermentação ruminal ex situ (microrúmen).

O objetivo do experimento foi avaliar o efeito de diferentes fontes energéticas da dieta sobre a fermentação ruminal em bovinos. O delineamento adotado foi o quadrado latino 3x3 replicado, com período de 16 dias e 3 tratamentos: Controle: Dieta de baixo extrato etéreo; Soja: Dieta de alto extrato etéreo (inclusão de 15% de soja grão); Polpa: Dieta de baixo extrato etéreo e alta participação de pectina (inclusão de 15% de polpa cítrica). As coletas de conteúdo ruminal foram realizadas no 16º dia experimental, sendo realizadas antes, 3, 6, 9 e 12 horas após a alimentação matinal. Utilizou-se a técnica de fermentação ruminal ex situ, a qual consiste em incubar frascos de penicilina contendo conteúdo ruminal sólido e líquido em banho termostático por 30min. Após a incubação era realizada a mensuração de metano e ácidos graxos de cadeia curta por cromatografia gasosa. A partir desta técnica consegue-se estimar a produção de ácidos graxos de cadeia curta, metano e a perda de energia realtiva (PER). A PER estima a eficiência da fermentação dos alimentos, ou seja, com ela é possível avaliar a perda de metano em relação aos outros produtos da fermentação. A Polpa aumentou a produção de acético e butírico e a dieta Soja diminuiu os mesmos ácidos graxos de cadeia curta. Nenhuma das dietas alterou a produção de metano ou a perda de energia relativa ao metano

Investigating a Hybrid Metaheuristic For Job Shop Rescheduling

Previous research has shown that artificial immune systems can be used to produce robust schedules in a manufacturing environment. The main goal is to develop building blocks (antibodies) of partial schedules that can be used to construct backup solutions (antigens) when disturbances occur during production. The building blocks are created based upon underpinning ideas from artificial immune systems and evolved using a genetic algorithm (Phase I). Each partial schedule (antibody) is assigned a fitness value and the best partial schedules are selected to be converted into complete schedules (antigens). We further investigate whether simulated annealing and the great deluge algorithm can improve the results when hybridised with our artificial immune system (Phase II). We use ten fixed solutions as our target and measure how well we cover these specific scenarios

Unravelling heterogeneous malaria transmission dynamics in the Peruvian Amazon: insights from a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Malaria remains a global health challenge, particularly in Peru's Loreto region. Despite ongoing efforts, high infection rates and asymptomatic cases perpetuate transmission. The Peruvian Ministry of Health's "Zero Malaria Plan" targets elimination. This novel study combines microscopic, molecular, and serological techniques to assess transmission intensity, identify epidemiological risk factors, and characterize species-specific patterns across villages. The findings aim to inform targeted interventions and support broader malaria elimination efforts in line with the Zero Malaria Plan initiative. METHODS: A cross-sectional malaria survey was conducted in the Zungarococha community, comprising the villages Llanchama (LL), Ninarumi (NI), Puerto Almendra (PA), and Zungarococha (ZG), using microscopic, molecular, and serological techniques to evaluate malaria transmission intensity. Statistical analysis, including multivariate-adjusted analysis, seroprevalence curves, and spatial clustering analysis, were performed to assess malaria prevalence, exposure, and risk factors. RESULTS: The survey revealed a high prevalence of asymptomatic infections (6% by microscopy and 18% by PCR), indicating that molecular methods are more sensitive for detecting asymptomatic infections. Seroprevalence varied significantly between villages, reflecting the heterogeneous malaria transmission dynamics. Multivariate analysis identified age, village, and limited bed net use as significant risk factors for malaria infection and species-specific exposure. Seroprevalence curves demonstrated community-specific patterns, with Llanchama and Puerto Almendra showing the highest seroconversion rates for both Plasmodium species. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlights the diverse nature of malaria transmission in the Loreto region, particularly nothing the pronounced heterogeneity as transmission rates decline, especially in residual malaria scenarios. The use of molecular and serological techniques enhances the detection of current infections and past exposure, aiding in the identification of epidemiological risk factors. These findings underscore the importance of using molecular and serological tools to characterize malaria transmission patterns in low-endemic areas, which is crucial for planning and implementing targeted interventions and elimination strategies. This is particularly relevant for initiatives like the Zero Malaria Plan in the Peruvian Amazon

First report on the herpetofauna of Pulau Aur, Johor, West Malaysia

With the exception ofTweedie's (1983) account ofCalamaria lovii, published accounts on the herpetofauna of Pulau Aur, located 63 km off the south-east coast of peninsular Malaysia in the South China Sea did not exist prior to this report. The only species known from the island were based on the museum records ofLimnonectes blythii, Mabuya multi/asciata, Bronchocela cristatella, Gehyra mutilata, Varanus nebulosus and Ahaetulla prasina deposited in the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. A short expedition to the island on 15-16 July 2001 yielded an additional 12 species, comprising 10 lizards and two snakes: Limnonectes blythii; Bronchocela cristatella; Cnemaspis cf. Nigridia; Cosymbotus platyurus; Cyrtodactylus consobrinus; Gehyra mutilata; Gekko monarchus; Hemidactylus frenatus; Dasia o/ivacea; Emoia atrocostata; Lygosoma bowring;;; Mabuya multi/asciata; Sphenomorphus scotophi/us; Varanus nebulosus; Varanus salvator; Ramphotyphlops cf. braminus; Calamaria lovii and Macropisthodon flaviceps

The SuperCam Instrument Suite on the Mars 2020 Rover: Science Objectives and Mast-Unit Description

On the NASA 2020 rover mission to Jezero crater, the remote determination of the texture, mineralogy and chemistry of rocks is essential to quickly and thoroughly characterize an area and to optimize the selection of samples for return to Earth. As part of the Perseverance payload, SuperCam is a suite of five techniques that provide critical and complementary observations via Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Time-Resolved Raman and Luminescence (TRR/L), visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (VISIR), high-resolution color imaging (RMI), and acoustic recording (MIC). SuperCam operates at remote distances, primarily 2-7 m, while providing data at sub-mm to mm scales. We report on SuperCam's science objectives in the context of the Mars 2020 mission goals and ways the different techniques can address these questions. The instrument is made up of three separate subsystems: the Mast Unit is designed and built in France; the Body Unit is provided by the United States; the calibration target holder is contributed by Spain, and the targets themselves by the entire science team. This publication focuses on the design, development, and tests of the Mast Unit; companion papers describe the other units. The goal of this work is to provide an understanding of the technical choices made, the constraints that were imposed, and ultimately the validated performance of the flight model as it leaves Earth, and it will serve as the foundation for Mars operations and future processing of the data.In France was provided by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Human resources were provided in part by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and universities. Funding was provided in the US by NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Some funding of data analyses at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) was provided by laboratory-directed research and development funds

Spread of a SARS-CoV-2 variant through Europe in the summer of 2020.

Following its emergence in late 2019, the spread of SARS-CoV-21,2 has been tracked by phylogenetic analysis of viral genome sequences in unprecedented detail3–5. Although the virus spread globally in early 2020 before borders closed, intercontinental travel has since been greatly reduced. However, travel within Europe resumed in the summer of 2020. Here we report on a SARS-CoV-2 variant, 20E (EU1), that was identified in Spain in early summer 2020 and subsequently spread across Europe. We find no evidence that this variant has increased transmissibility, but instead demonstrate how rising incidence in Spain, resumption of travel, and lack of effective screening and containment may explain the variant’s success. Despite travel restrictions, we estimate that 20E (EU1) was introduced hundreds of times to European countries by summertime travellers, which is likely to have undermined local efforts to minimize infection with SARS-CoV-2. Our results illustrate how a variant can rapidly become dominant even in the absence of a substantial transmission advantage in favourable epidemiological settings. Genomic surveillance is critical for understanding how travel can affect transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and thus for informing future containment strategies as travel resumes. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited

Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks