Ewé: a web-based ethnobotanical database for storing and analysing data

Ethnobotanical databases serve as repositories of traditional knowledge (TK), either at international or local scales. By documenting plant species with traditional use, and most importantly, the applications and modes of use of such species, ethnobotanical databases play a role in the conservation of TK and also provide access to information that could improve hypothesis generation and testing in ethnobotanical studies. Brazil has a rich medicinal flora and a rich cultural landscape. Nevertheless, cultural change and ecological degradation can lead to loss of TK. Here, we present an online database developed with open-source tools with a capacity to include all medicinal flora of Brazil. We present test data for the Leguminosae comprising a total of 2078 records, referred to here as use reports, including data compiled from literature and herbarium sources. Unlike existing databases, Ewé provides tools for the visualization of large datasets, facilitating hypothesis generation and meta-analyses. The Ewé database is currently available at www.ewedb.com

A Experiência Sensorial do Corpo em Exposições Museológicas

Manoela Nascimento Souza Departamento de Museologia, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias Dissertação de Mestrado Msc. (2018) Abstract The present investigation have aims to reflect about the sensorial experience of the body on museological exhibitions. Because of the complexity of this investigation the research proposes the development of a museological scientific method, theoretical and practical, as a process of participant knowledge of the movement of the thought and the world itself. This method is called live method, because it is alive as the subject which studies and participatory because part of the look of experience and understanding of the movement and of the order of life. This method serves for the museologists researchers and for the subject that experience. In this way, the research seeks to understand the faces that compose the human body to propose a museological environment for the sensorial experience of the body in museum spaces. The museological environment proposed is the wine. The wine as a generator of artificials sensasions alllows the subject to reflection, and an integrated knowledge about himself and about the world. To understand the viability of wine as a museological environment, research accompanies a field survey in order to investigate the action of the wine on the subject. The field research was carried out in the Brazilian wine Miolo Wine Group.   Key-words: Sociomuseology; sensorial experience; live method; body; wine.  Manoela Nascimento Souza Departamento de Museologia, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias Dissertação de Mestrado Msc. (2018)   Resumo A presente investigação tem como objetivo refletir sobre a experiência sensorial do corpo em exposições museológicas. Pela complexidade desta investigação a pesquisa propõe o desenvolvimento de um método científico museológico, teórico e prático, como um processo de conhecimento participante do movimento do pensamento e do próprio mundo. Este método é denominado método vivo, pois é vivo como os seres humanos e, participativo porque parte do olhar da experiência e da compreensão do movimento e da ordem da vida. Esse método serve para os museólogos pesquisadores e para os sujeitos que experiênciam. Dessa forma, a investigação busca compreender as faces que compõe o corpo humano para conseguir propor um meio museológico que possa ajudar a experiência sensorial total do corpo em espaços museológicos. O meio museológico proposto é o vinho. O vinho como um gerador de sensações artificiais possibilita ao sujeito a reflexão e um conhecimento integrado sobre si e sobre o mundo. Para compreender a viabilidade do vinho como meio museológico, a investigação acompanha uma pesquisa de campo a fim de investigar a ação do vinho nos sujeitos. A pesquisa de campo foi realizada na vinícola brasileira Miolo Wine Group.   Palavras chave: sociomuseologia; experiência sensorial; método vivo; corpo; vinh

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

Emergency psychological services in Brazil (1997-2009): shared knowledge and practices

The purpose of this study was to investigate scientific production on Emergency Psychological Services in Brazil between 1997 and 2009 by trawling scientific, electronic databases, using the descriptor Emergency Psychological Services. Thirty-eight abstracts were obtained, analyzed based on the following categories: distribution, authorship, institutional affiliation, source, year, publication support, target population, theoretical approach, nature of work and geographic region of the country. The results suggest that the electronic databases are currently an important source of access to production on Emergency Psychological Services in Brazil. It is in the southeast where we see a prevalence in production on this subject, as well as the use of the Person-Centered Approach, revealing a greater emphasis on research related to dissertations, with the greatest level of production being noted in 2005 and 2006.O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a produção científica sobre Plantão Psicológico no Brasil, entre 1997 e 2009, através de pesquisa em bases eletrônicas de dados científicos, utilizando o descritor "plantão psicológico". Obtiveram-se 38 resumos, analisados a partir das seguintes categorias: distribuição, autoria, filiação institucional, fonte, ano, suporte de publicação, população alvo, enfoque teórico, natureza do trabalho e região geográfica do país. Os resultados sugerem que as bases eletrônicas de dados constituem atualmente importante fonte de acesso à produção brasileira sobre Plantão Psicológico. Verifica-se uma prevalência na produção sobre o assunto na Região Sudeste, assim como na utilização da Abordagem Centrada na Pessoa, revelando maior ênfase em pesquisa relacionada à dissertação, com predominância de produção em 2005 e 2006

Influência da cultivar e da estação do ano (inverno e verão) em compostos bioativos em quatro cultivares de alface vermelha (Lactuca sativa L.)

A alface é uma hortaliça muito consumida e de grande importância econômica, e tem despertado interesse por seus componentes bioativos, como carotenoides e compostos fenólicos. Estes compostos são os principais responsáveis pela capacidade antioxidante de determinados alimentos, e o suprimento das necessidades diárias de antioxidantes, através da alimentação, está associado à prevenção ou redução de efeitos patológicos adversos, tais como os problemas cardiovasculares, câncer e diabetes mellitus. Atualmente existe uma ampla diversificação nos tipos de alface cultivada, sendo que a alface vermelha ocupa parte desse segmento; no entanto, ainda faltam pesquisas direcionadas aos perfis e teores de compostos bioativos em diferentes estações do ano em tais hortaliças. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar o efeito da cultivar e do período de cultivo, inverno e verão, sobre o perfil dos carotenoides e da composição fenólica em quatro cultivares de alface de cor vermelha (Mila, Maira, Carmin e Scarlet). O experimento foi conduzido em ambiente protegido (casa de vegetação). O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos casualizados, com 4 cultivares, 3 repetições e 16 plantas por parcela no inverno e no verão. Após a colheita, as amostras foram liofilizadas, embaladas à vácuo e armazenadas à -18 ºC para determinação de atividade antioxidante (ABTS), carotenoides (CAR), antocianinas e compostos fenólicos extraíveis (CFE) e não extraíveis (CFNE). A cultivar e a estação do ano não influenciaram o perfil qualitativo dos carotenoides e compostos fenólicos da alface vermelha. No entanto, a estação influenciou a concentração desses componentes em todas as cultivares. Os níveis de CFE e antocianinas foram significativamente maiores no inverno, enquanto os níveis de carotenoides e CFNE foram maiores no verão. Foram identificadas dez antocianinas (cianidinas e delfinidinas). O principal carotenoide encontrado foi o all-trans-β-caroteno (45-48%), seguido pela luteína (13-20%) e zeaxantina (11-15%). Os principais CFE incluem ácido 5-cafeoilquínico e rutina. Foram encontrados 25 CFNE, como ácido gálico, caféico e clorogênico. Cultivares de alface vermelha têm seus principais compostos bioativos descritos e comparados em duas épocas de plantio. Os resultados deste estudo reforçam que a estação do ano pode modular a concentração de compostos bioativos na alface.Lettuce is a widely consumed vegetable of great economic importance, and has aroused interest for its bioactive components, such as carotenoids and phenolic compounds. These compounds are main responsible for the antioxidant capacity of certain foods, and the supplying the daily needs of antioxidants through food is associated with the prevention or reduction of adverse pathological effects, such as cardiovascular problems, cancer and diabetes mellitus. Currently there is a wide diversification in the types of cultivated lettuce, with red lettuce occupying part of this segment; however, there is still a lack of research aimed at the profiles and levels of bioactive compounds in different seasons of the year in such vegetables. Thus, the objective of this work was to verify the effect of cultivar and growing period, winter and summer, on the profile of carotenoids and phenolic composition in four red lettuce cultivars (Mila, Maira, Carmin and Scarlet). The experiment was conducted in a protected environment (greenhouse). The experimental design used was randomized blocks, with 4 cultivars, 3 replications and 16 plants per plot in winter and summer. After collection, samples were lyophilized, vacuum packed and stored at -18 ºC for determination of antioxidant activity (ABTS), carotenoids (CAR), anthocyanins and extractable (EPC) and non-extractable (NEPC) phenolic compounds. Cultivar and season of the year did not influence the qualitative profile of carotenoids and phenolic compounds in red lettuce. However, the season influenced the concentration of these components in all cultivars. EPC and anthocyanin levels were significantly higher in winter, while carotenoid and NEPC levels were higher in summer. Ten anthocyanins (cyanidins and delphinidins) were identified. The main carotenoid found was all-trans-β-carotene (45-48%), followed by lutein (13-20%) and zeaxanthin (11-15%). Major EPC's include 5-caffeoylquinic acid and rutin. 25 NEPC were found, such as gallic, caffeic and chlorogenic acid. Red lettuce cultivars have their main bioactive compounds described and compared in two seasons. The results of this study reinforce that the season can modulate the concentration of bioactive compounds in lettuce

Fast-Forward Video Based on Semantic Extraction

Thanks to the low operational cost and large storage capacity of smartphones and wearable devices, people are recording many hours of daily activities, sport actions and home videos. These videos, also known as egocentric videos, are generally long-running streams with unedited content, which make them boring and visually unpalatable, bringing up the challenge to make egocentric videos more appealing. In this work we propose a novel methodology to compose the new fast-forward video by selecting frames based on semantic information extracted from images. The experiments show that our approach outperforms the state-of-the-art as far as semantic information is concerned and that it is also able to produce videos that are more pleasant to be watched.Comment: Accepted for publication and presented in 2016 IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP

Hybrid Power Plants: A Case Study

Energy can be treated as an essential element for the development of society. Therefore, aspects like process’ efficiency and environmental impacts must be considered when choosing the supply source. In Brazil, an event showed the fragility of a system that relies on in only one source to attend their necessities; a truckers strike made the whole country stop. The energy sector has a similar situation; more than 60% of Brazilian energetic matrix is represented by one source, hydroelectric power plants. The availability of solar radiation and wind in Brazil makes it possible to diversify its energetic matrix. Thus, the aim of this study is investigating the potential of hybrid solar-wind power plants in two basins of Minas Gerais—Brazil, São Francisco Basin and Jequitinhonha Basin, as well as compare their viabilities in order to address social issues. By analyzing INMET database and economic factors, the study has shown that it is feasible to implement renewable power plants in the basins of the study area, whether individually (solar or wind energy) or hybrid system. It shows in addition that hybrid system should be prioritized, since it presents lower cost, when compared to solar power plant, and more reliability due to seasonality of both sources

Chemical waste risk reduction and environmental impact generated by laboratory activities in research and teaching institutions

The environmental impact caused by teaching and research with regard to chemical waste is of increasing concern, and attempts to solve the issue are being made. Education and research-related institutions, in most laboratory and non-laboratory activities, contribute to the generation of small quantities of waste, many of them highly toxic. Of this waste, some is listed by government agencies who are concerned about environmental pollution: disposal of acids, metals, solvents, chemicals and toxicity of selected products of synthesis, whose toxicity is often unknown. This article presents an assessment of the problem and identifies possible solutions, indicating pertinent laws, directives and guidelines; examples of institutions that have implemented protocols in order to minimize the generation of waste; harmonization of procedures for waste management and waste minimization procedures such as reduction, reuse and recycling of chemicals.O impacto ambiental acarretado por atividades de pesquisa e ensino no que se refere aos resíduos químicos vem sendo cada vez mais discutido e tentativas de solucionar a questão vêm sendo apresentadas. As instituições de ensino e pesquisa, em quase todas as atividades e não somente as laboratoriais, contribuem para a geração de pequenas quantidades de resíduos, muitos deles altamente tóxicos. Destes, alguns constam em listas de agências governamentais que se preocupam com a qualidade do meio ambiente: descartes de ácidos, metais, solventes, agentes químicos de elevada toxicidade e ainda os produtos de síntese, cuja toxicidade é frequentemente desconhecida. Este artigo apresenta uma avaliação do problema identificando possíveis soluções, a partir da apresentação de legislações pertinentes, exemplos de instituições que vêm implantando protocolos que minimizam a geração de resíduos, sistemas de harmonização de processos de gerenciamento de resíduos e procedimentos de minimização de resíduos, como a redução, reutilização e reciclagem dos produtos químicos