The 12 prophets dataset

The "Ajeijadinho 3D" project is an initiative supported by the University of S\~ao Paulo (Museum of Science and Dean of Culture and Extension), which involves the 3D digitization of art works of Brazilian sculptor Antonio Francisco Lisboa, better known as Aleijadinho. The project made use of advanced acquisition and processing of 3D meshes for preservation and dissemination of the cultural heritage. The dissemination occurs through a Web portal, so that the population has the opportunity to meet the art works in detail using 3D visualization and interaction. The portal address is http://www.aleijadinho3d.icmc.usp.br. The 3D acquisitions were conducted over a week at the end of July 2013 in the cities of Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil and Congonhas do Campo, MG, Brazil. The scanning was done with a special equipment supplied by company Leica Geosystems, which allowed the work to take place at distances between 10 and 30 meters, defining a non-invasive procedure, simplified logistics, and without the need for preparation or isolation of the sites. In Ouro Preto, we digitized the churches of Francisco of Assis, Our Lady of Carmo, and Our Lady of Mercy; in Congonhas do Campo we scanned the entire Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos and his 12 prophets. Once scanned, the art works went through a long process of preparation, which required careful handling of meshes done by experts from the University of S\~ao Paulo in partnership with company Imprimate.Comment: Full dataset online at http://aleijadinho3d.icmc.usp.br/data.htm

Computational musicology: An Artificial Life approach

Abstract — Artificial Life (A-Life) and Evolutionary Algorithms (EA) provide a variety of new techniques for making and studying music. EA have been used in different musical applications, ranging from new systems for composition and performance, to models for studying musical evolution in artificial societies. This paper starts with a brief introduction to three main fields of application of EA in Music, namely sound design, creativity and computational musicology. Then it presents our work in the field of computational musicology. Computational musicology is broadly defined as the study of Music with computational modelling and simulation. We are interested in developing A-Life-based models to study the evolution of musical cognition in an artificial society of agents. In this paper we present the main components of a model that we are developing to study the evolution of musical ontogenies, focusing on the evolution of rhythms and emotional systems. The paper concludes by suggesting that A-Life and EA provide a powerful paradigm for computational musicology. I

Weed seed dormancy as a survival mechanism: brief review

Um dos principais mecanismos de sobrevivência das plantas daninhas em ambientes constantemente perturbados é a alta produção de sementes. Essas possuem geralmente algum mecanismo de dormência, o qual contribui para a perpetuação de espécies interferentes nos cultivos agrícolas. A dormência pode ser caracterizada pela ausência temporária da germinação, mesmo quando em condições adequadas de sua ocorrência. Isso permite que inúmeras espécies vegetais sobrevivam às adversidades, sobretudo aquelas que dificultam ou impeçam o seu crescimento vegetativo e reprodutivo. As causas da dormência são provenientes de dois mecanismos básicos, sendo o primeiro relacionado a eventos internos das sementes (embrião) e o segundo, às características externas (tegumento, endosperma ou as barreiras impostas pelo fruto). Conceitualmente, a dormência pode ser distinguida em dois tipos: dormência primária (quando os mecanismos de dormência ocorrem ainda na planta-mãe) e secundária (quando os mecanismos de estabelecimento da dormência ocorrem após a dispersão das sementes). A ocorrência desses dois tipos de dormência é comum em plantas daninhas. A sua alternância ou ciclagem garante o fluxo de germinação destas espécies, o qual depende das características iniciais durante a formação das sementes (dormência primária) e, posteriormente, das condições ambientais (dormência secundária). Todavia, muitos são os mecanismos que coordenam a dormência, sendo a distinção destes ainda controversos. Nesse sentido, este estudo tem por objetivo abordar alguns dos principais conceitos e mecanismos de dormência em plantas daninhas, com intuito de contribuir e estimular as pesquisas, ainda escassas, nessa área.The high production of seeds in constantly disturbed environments is one of the main mechanisms of weeds survival. These seeds have usually some dormancy mechanism which constitutes weed species perpetuation in the crops. Seed dormancy can be characterized by temporally absence of the germination capacity, even though the seeds have satisfactorily conditions to germinate, thus allowing species survival under adversities, mainly those that make it difficult or hinder vegetative and reproductive growth. The causes of dormancy stem from two basic mechanisms: the first is related to inner seed events (embryo) and the second to outer characteristics in the seeds (tegument, endosperm or fruit barriers). Conceptually, dormancy can be classified as primary dormancy (when the mechanisms occur in plants-mother) and secondary dormancy (when the mechanisms causing dormancy occur after seed dispersion). These types of dormancy occur normally in weeds. Their alternation or cycling ensures germination flow these species, which depends on the characteristics occurring at the initial stages of seed formation (primary dormancy), and later, on the environmental conditions (secondary dormancy). However, many mechanisms coordinate dormancy, with the differences among them being still controversial. Thus, this study aimed to approach some of the main concepts and mechanisms in weed dormancy, in order to contribute and stimulate research which is still scarce in this area

Characterization and transferability of microsatellite markers of the cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea)

BACKGROUND: The genus Arachis includes Arachis hypogaea (cultivated peanut) and wild species that are used in peanut breeding or as forage. Molecular markers have been employed in several studies of this genus, but microsatellite markers have only been used in few investigations. Microsatellites are very informative and are useful to assess genetic variability, analyze mating systems and in genetic mapping. The objectives of this study were to develop A. hypogaea microsatellite loci and to evaluate the transferability of these markers to other Arachis species. RESULTS: Thirteen loci were isolated and characterized using 16 accessions of A. hypogaea. The level of variation found in A. hypogaea using microsatellites was higher than with other markers. Cross-transferability of the markers was also high. Sequencing of the fragments amplified using the primer pair Ah11 from 17 wild Arachis species showed that almost all wild species had similar repeated sequence to the one observed in A. hypogaea. Sequence data suggested that there is no correlation between taxonomic relationship of a wild species to A. hypogaea and the number of repeats found in its microsatellite loci. CONCLUSION: These results show that microsatellite primer pairs from A. hypogaea have multiple uses. A higher level of variation among A. hypogaea accessions can be detected using microsatellite markers in comparison to other markers, such as RFLP, RAPD and AFLP. The microsatellite primers of A. hypogaea showed a very high rate of transferability to other species of the genus. These primer pairs provide important tools to evaluate the genetic variability and to assess the mating system in Arachis species

Prevention of Corneal Injury in Critically Ill Sedated and Mechanically Ventilated Patients: Theoretical and Evidence-based Practice

Any prolonged loss of consciousness due to sedation in critically ill patients may result in eye injuries which may go unnoticed as the patient cannot express his/her reduced vision or pain. Loss of blinking movement and eyelid malocclusion can cause some eye injuries as keratopathies and ulcers, which are the most common eye injuries in these patients. In at-risk patients (intubated and ventilated), screening for corneal injuries should be carried out using a fluorescein test. Protection of the cornea depends on its moisturization, which itself depends on eyelid closure, blinking, and the quality of the aqueous film present on the cornea. These protective components are regularly reduced in critically ill patients. Some cohort studies indicate that the peak incidence of corneal injuries occurs after first-week admission in critically ill patients. In intubated and ventilated patients, an eye gel and polyethylene chamber are the most effective interventions to prevent corneal injuries

Secondary Metabolites

Plants are the main source for obtaining secondary metabolites that are used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. In nature, the performance of bioactive compounds is affected by biotic and abiotic factors, an alternative to overcome this adversity is in vitro plant cultures and particularly plant cell culture that has multiple advantages, highlighting the possibility of controlling variables to increase the content. of compounds of interest. The objective of this research was to determine and optimize the effect of some elicitors on the production of secondary flavonoid metabolites in suspension cell cultures of Thevetia peruviana on a shake flask scale. The experimental part was performed from cell cultures in suspension cells of T. peruviana maintained by the Bioconversion Laboratory of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, sede Medellin. Firstly, methyl jasmonate (MeJa) 3 µM and salicylic acid (SA) 300 µM were added to two los of cell cultures, that circumstantially they differed in their time suspension state lot 1 (9 months) and lot 2 (3 months). Secondly, certain were evaluated, in order to be optimized; the operational parameters cosidered were: day of addition, concentration and hours of harvest. Finally, the combined effect of MeJa (0.3 µM) and SA (100 µM) was determined in different proportions, the day of elicitation and the hours of harvest were constant. Flavonoid content was quantified by UV-vis spectrophotometry usinfg the AlCl3 complexation method and was evaluated at extracellular and intracellular level. In the first part, at intracellular level, SA generated 14.6 % and 9.56 % more flavonoid content than MeJa in lots 1 and 2, respectively. In the second part, 4.14 mg EQ/g DW were generated with MeJa 0.3 µM, elicitation day 5 and harvest at 90 h; 3.75 mg EQ/g DW were generated with 100 µM SA, elicitation day 0 and harvests at 96 h. In the third part, 4.62 mg EQ / g DW were generated with the combination of MeJa (0.3 µM) – SA (100 µM) in a ratio of 20-80, elicitation on day 0 and harvest at 96 h. Eliciting cell cultures of Thevetia peruviana with MeJa and SA under optimal conditions of concentration, day of addition and hours of harvest increased the content of flavonoid compounds. The results obtained could serve as a basis for the development of investigations at the bioreactor scale.Las plantas son la principal fuente para la obtención de metabolitos secundarios que se usan en la industria farmacéutica, cosmética y alimentaria. En la naturaleza el rendimiento de compuestos bioactivos se ve afectado por factores bióticos y abióticos, una alternativa para superar esta adversidad son los cultivos vegetales in vitro y particularmente el cultivo de células en suspensión que presenta múltiples ventajas destacándose la posibilidad de controlar variables para aumentar el contenido de compuestos de interés. El objetivo del presente trabajo de investigación fue determinar y optimizar el efecto de algunos elicitores sobre la producción de metabolitos secundarios tipo flavonoides en cultivos de células en suspensión de Thevetia peruviana a escala de matraz agitado. La parte experimental se realizó a partir de cultivos de células en células en suspensión de T. peruviana que mantenía el laboratorio de bioconversiones de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia sede Medellín. Primeramente, metil jasmonato (MeJa) 3 μM y ácido salicílico (AS) 300 μM se adicionaron a dos lotes de cultivos de células; que circunstancialmente diferían en su tiempo en estado de suspensión lote 1 (9 meses) y lote 2 (3 meses). Segundamente, determinadas condiciones fueron evaluadas, con el fin de ser optimizadas; los parámetros operacionales que se consideraron fueron: día de adición, concentración y las horas de cosecha. Por último, el efecto combinado de MeJa (0,3 μM) – AS (100 μM) se determinó en diferentes proporciones, el día de elicitación y las horas de cosecha fueron constantes. El contenido de flavonoides se cuantificó por espectrofotometría UV – vis por el método de complejación de AlCl3 y se evaluaron a nivel extracelular e intracelular. En la primera parte, a nivel intracelular AS generaron 14,6 % y 9,56 % más contenido de flavonoides que MeJa en lotes 1 y 2, respectivamente. En la segunda parte, 4,14 mg EQ/g MS fueron generados con MeJa 0,3 μM, elicitación día 5 y cosecha a 90 h; por otro lado, 3,75 mg EQ/g MS fueron generados con AS 100 μM, elicitación día 0 y cosecha a 96 h. En la tercera parte, 4,62 mg EQ/g MS fueron generados con la combinación de MeJa (0,3 μM) – AS (100 μM) en proporción 20 – 80, elicitación el día 0 y cosecha a las 96 h. Elicitar cultivos celulares de Thevetia peruviana con MeJa y AS en condiciones óptimas de concentración, día de adición y horas de cosecha incrementaron el contenido de compuestos flavonoides. Los resultados obtenidos podrían servir como base para el desarrollo de investigaciones a escala de biorreactor.Maestrí

Initial Growth Of Costus Longebracteolatus And Costus Spiralis 'french Kiss' Under Different Light Conditions

The Brazilian native Costus longebracteolatus and Costus spiralis 'French Kiss', in the family Costaceae, have been used as both cut flowers and cut foliage. It is known that Costus species grow better under partial shade, but studies on the influence of shading or light on plant growth, development, and flower production are still incipient. As this kind of information is essential on planning of planting, production, and agribusiness activities, the objective of this research was to evaluate the influence of different colored shade nets and light conditions on the initial growth of both C. longebracteolatus and C. spiralis 'French Kiss'. Plants, obtained from cuttings of pseudostems, were cultivated under six light conditions, which comprised six treatments, along 270 days: red net with 50% shading, blue net with 50% shading, black net with 70% shading, black net with 50% shading, black net with 30% shading, and full sun. The initial growth of C. longebracteolatus (up to 270 days) is more successful under the blue net with 50% shading, which promoted highest values of pseudostem length and dry matter of aerial part. For C. spiralis 'French Kiss' plants, both the red and blue nets with 50% shading implied best results and differed for the other treatments with greater pseudostem length. Plant exposure to full sun inhibited growth and development, and favored early leaf necrosis.22332633