Bryophytes from Jalapão, state of Tocantins, northern Brazil

Although occupying almost half the area of Brazil, the northern region of the country remains poorly known bryologically. In an attempt to help remedy this problem, a collecting trip was made to Jalapão Desert, located in the state of Tocantins. A total of 22 taxa were found, 21 are new occurrences to the state and three are new to the northern region of Brazil. Bryum caespiticium Hedw. is listed for the second time from Brazil. A list of the taxa with references of descriptions and illustrations are provided.Embora ocupe quase metade da área do pais, a região norte do Brasil, continua sendo pouco conhecida do ponto de vista briológico. A fim de contribuir com o conhecimento sobre a brioflora da area, uma viajem de coleta foi feita a região do Jalapão, localizado no estado do Tocantins. Um total de 22 taxa foram encontrados, 21 novas ocorrências para o estado e três novas para a região norte. Bryum caespiticium Hedw. é citado pela segunda vez para o Brasil. É fornecida uma lista dos taxa com referências de descrições e ilustrações

Organization: criteria for a critical and objective conception

O conceito de organização é, muitas vezes, utilizado de modo subjetivo, vago e até equivocado. Aqui se buscam critérios para criticar e julgar de modo objetivo as definições propostas ou implícitas numa pesquisa em administração. O caminho escolhido foi partir da concepção de Barnard (1942) e dialogar com a literatura científica na área. Sem cair no irracionalismo, critica-se a conceituação formalista e racionalista. Em substituição, entra a correspondência entre resultados e as cobranças das partes interessadas. Afasta-se o foco dos significados, em favor da idéia de sistema social aberto, com divisão de trabalho, reais relações de cooperação e poder e reprodução, apoiada nos resultados dos intercâmbios com o meio social onde se insere a organização. A conclusão está na forma de critérios aplicáveis a uma concepção de organização que se proponha objetiva e crítica.The concept of organization is often used in subjective, vague and even wrong ways. In this paper, the aim is to find criteria to objectively criticize and judge definitions applied in management research. The adopted approach is to depart from Barnard's conception (1942) and to establish a dialogue with the scientific management literature. Rationalistic and formalistic conceptions are criticized. These ideas are replaced by correspondence between results and stakeholders demands. The focus on meaning is abandoned, in favor of an open social systems idea with work division, actual cooperation and power relations, and reproduction sustained by exchange with the organization social environment. In conclusion, a set of criteria is formulated to evaluate the objective and critical character of any proposed formal definition of organization

Pine wilt disease and red ring disease of coconut: opportunities and perspectives in the study of two nematodes Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and B. cocophilus.

The xylophagous nematodes Bursaphelenchus cocophilus and B. xylophilus (Nematoda: Parasitaphelenchidae), are causative agents of two serious diseases, “red ring disease” (RRD) with great importance to coconut and certain oil palm species in Central and South America, and in “pine wilt disease” (PWD), which has wreaked havoc in forest areas in the Far East and now more recently in Europe (Portugal and Spain). PWD has not yet been detected in Brasil or any other country in Central or South America, but there is great risk of introduction due to worldwide movement of wood and wood products through major sea ports. Recently, for example, wood shipments originating from Brasil, infested with B. xylophilus, have been intercepted in China. Due to the taxonomical proximity between these two nematodes (the only two plant pathogenic species within the genus Bursaphelenchus, containing nearly 100 species), the similarity of life cycles (with the insect vectors Rhynchophorus palmarum for B. cocophilus and Monochamus spp. for B. xylophilus) and the likely genomic and proteomic similarities, a comparative study between these two nematodes may provide important insights into understanding RRD, in particular through the genome sequencing of B. cocophilus, and comparison with the recently sequenced genome of B. xylophilus. Knowledge on specific pathogenicity genes, involved in the RRD process, combined with past and present knowledge, should be helpful in designing new and effective control methods for this major tropical disease of coconut and palm

Barriers to pedestrians in a growing African city: how to quantify them using minimal data

BACKGROUND: Wide and busy roads are barriers to pedestrians, possibly affecting physical activity, independent mobility, social interaction, and physical and mental health. This ‘barrier effect’ is a pressing problem in many African cities, where, despite the growth in car traffic, walking is still the dominant mode, especially for the poor, women, and older people. This study quantifies the barrier effect of roads for the first time in an African city (Praia, capital of Cabo Verde), mapping the effect at the city level, and analysing its distribution across areas and social groups. The indicators account for land use (i.e., what is on the other side of the road). METHODS: We estimated, for each building, indicators of the barrier effect for trips to houses of other people and to food shops. To overcome lack of data, we manually compiled and mapped many of the variables used (road characteristics, food shops, informal settlements, census data). Barrier effects were defined as the proportions of the areas of other buildings and of food shops within 600m that are located across main roads. We analysed the distribution of the effect using descriptive statistics, cumulative frequencies, bivariate associations, and regression models. RESULTS: Strong barrier effects were found across the city, in some areas reaching 70% (i.e., roads curtail 70% of the walking accessibility potential of residents). The effect tends to be higher in older informal settlements than in formally planned areas and newer informal settlements, and it disproportionately affects individuals aged 65+. The effect is higher for households with high, medium, or low socio-economic status than for those with very high and very low status. The indicators were robust to changes in the assumptions, including type of roads included, maximum walking distance, and attractiveness of buildings and food shops. The indicators were also able to capture differences between effects in areas near roads and with many potential destinations across the road and areas near similar roads but with no destination across the road. Simpler indicators (e.g., considering only distance to roads) were less variable (as they do not consider land use). CONCLUSIONS: The barrier effect of roads is generally high and affects some areas with vulnerable populations. Mitigation measures (e.g., good crossing facilities) are needed. The indicators used performed well and are a good option for the assessment of barrier effects in data-poor contexts

Time Synchronization in Limited Resources Wireless Devices

This article deals with implementation of a time distribution protocol among limited resources wireless sensor devices. This type of protocol aims to distribute the same time reference among two or more devices within a network. Timestamps on measures help to relate them on causality studies. The PTP protocol defined at IEEE 1588-2008 is used, with little adaptations, to synchronize and tune software clocks inside the target boards of the Texas Instruments  ez430-RF2480ZigBee kit. Initially only synchronization was done, but it was verified the need to implement clock tuning. The devices clocks can be synchronized and tuned, even in heavily limited resources devices

GC-EIMS: a fast tool for the identification of organic acid derivatives from the bulbs of Autonoë madeirensis (MENEZES) SPETA

Comunicação oral na forma de painelAutonoë madeirensis (MENEZES) SPETA [1] (Scilla madeirensis MENEZES) is a Hyacinthaceae endemic from the Madeira Archipelago (Portugal). Previous pharmacological studies indicated the presence of compounds with positive inotropic activity in extracts of this species [2]. Included in the systematic phytochemical study of the bulbs [3, 4], we decided to use Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for the identification of known and wide spread natural compounds such as organic and phenolic acid derivatives. Fresh bulbs were sliced and extracted with ethanol, the residue dissolved in hot water and submitted to liquid-liquid partition with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. The ethyl acetate fraction was then screened by GC-EIMS on a HP5 capillary column (30 m x 0.25 mm x 0.25 m, He as carrier gas), with the temperature program: 150 ºC for 1 min, 150 ºC 300 ºC at 5 ºC/min, 300 ºC for 5 min. Based on retention times (tR) and MS fragmentation patterns it was possible to undoubtedly identify organic acid derivatives such as ethyl, isopropyl and butyl esters of fatty acids, citric (1) triethyl and monoethyl esters, p-coumaric (2) and ferulic (3) methyl esters, among others. These results reinforce our conviction that GC-EIMS is a fast, simple and accurate method for the identification of known natural compounds in non polar mixtures, saving time and money in the long and expensive process of isolation and structure identification of pure compounds. References: 1.Speta, F. (1998) Phyton 38 (1): 1-141. 2.Dias, C., Graça, J.A.B., Gonçalves, M.L. (2000) J. Ethnopharmacology (in press). 3.Dias, C., Nascimento, J., Houghton, P. (1999) A new pyrimidine derivative from the bulbs of Scilla maderensis. Book of Abstracts 2000 Years of Natural Products Research - Past, Present and Future. Amsterdam, July 26-30. 4.Dias, C., Vasconcelos, P., Nascimento, J. (1999) Identification of fatty acids from the bulbs of Scilla maderensis. Book of Abstracts 2000 Years of Natural Products Research - Past, Present and Future. Amsterdam, July 26-30.This research was supported by the CECF, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbo

GPT-in-the-Loop: Adaptive Decision-Making for Multiagent Systems

This paper introduces the "GPT-in-the-loop" approach, a novel method combining the advanced reasoning capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) like Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT) with multiagent (MAS) systems. Venturing beyond traditional adaptive approaches that generally require long training processes, our framework employs GPT-4 for enhanced problem-solving and explanation skills. Our experimental backdrop is the smart streetlight Internet of Things (IoT) application. Here, agents use sensors, actuators, and neural networks to create an energy-efficient lighting system. By integrating GPT-4, these agents achieve superior decision-making and adaptability without the need for extensive training. We compare this approach with both traditional neuroevolutionary methods and solutions provided by software engineers, underlining the potential of GPT-driven multiagent systems in IoT. Structurally, the paper outlines the incorporation of GPT into the agent-driven Framework for the Internet of Things (FIoT), introduces our proposed GPT-in-the-loop approach, presents comparative results in the IoT context, and concludes with insights and future directions.Comment: 8 page