Macro-scale ore-controlling faults revealed by micro-geochemical anomalies

Whereas the mechanism of fluid flow, and thus structural control, linked with mineral deposit formation is quite understood, the specific structures that likely provided controls on mineralization at certain geographic scales are not readily known for a given region unless it is well-explored. This contributes uncertainty in mineral prospectivity analysis in poorly-explored regions (or greenfields). Here, because the spatial distribution of mineral deposits has been postulated to be fractals (i.e., the patterns of these features are self-similar across a range of spatial scales), we show for the first time that micro-geochemical anomalies (as proxies of micro-scale patterns of ore minerals), from few discrete parts of the Sossego iron-oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposit in the Carajas Mineral Province (CMP) of Brazil, exhibit trends of macro-scale faults that are known to have controlled IOCG mineralization in the CMP. The methodology described here, which led to this novel finding, would help towards detecting mineral exploration targets as well as help towards understanding structural controls on mineralization in greenfields9CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2014-9/401316; 2017-3/3097122015/11186-3FAPESP (Sao Paulo Research Foundation)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP) [2015/11186-3]; CNPq (Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development)National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) [2014-9/401316, 2017-3/309712]; Vale Compan

Screening non-coding RNAs in transcriptomes from neglected species using PORTRAIT: case study of the pathogenic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Transcriptome sequences provide a complement to structural genomic information and provide snapshots of an organism's transcriptional profile. Such sequences also represent an alternative method for characterizing neglected species that are not expected to undergo whole-genome sequencing. One difficulty for transcriptome sequencing of these organisms is the low quality of reads and incomplete coverage of transcripts, both of which compromise further bioinformatics analyses. Another complicating factor is the lack of known protein homologs, which frustrates searches against established protein databases. This lack of homologs may be caused by divergence from well-characterized and over-represented model organisms. Another explanation is that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) may be caught during sequencing. NcRNAs are RNA sequences that, unlike messenger RNAs, do not code for protein products and instead perform unique functions by folding into higher order structural conformations. There is ncRNA screening software available that is specific for transcriptome sequences, but their analyses are optimized for those transcriptomes that are well represented in protein databases, and also assume that input ESTs are full-length and high quality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We propose an algorithm called PORTRAIT, which is suitable for ncRNA analysis of transcriptomes from poorly characterized species. Sequences are translated by software that is resistant to sequencing errors, and the predicted putative proteins, along with their source transcripts, are evaluated for coding potential by a support vector machine (SVM). Either of two SVM models may be employed: if a putative protein is found, a protein-dependent SVM model is used; if it is not found, a protein-independent SVM model is used instead. Only <it>ab initio </it>features are extracted, so that no homology information is needed. We illustrate the use of PORTRAIT by predicting ncRNAs from the transcriptome of the pathogenic fungus <it>Paracoccidoides brasiliensis </it>and five other related fungi.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>PORTRAIT can be integrated into pipelines, and provides a low computational cost solution for ncRNA detection in transcriptome sequencing projects.</p

Alternativas à agricultura de corte e queima em processos de transição agroecológica: um desafio para a agricultura amazónica

A paisagem agrícola amazônica abriga uma diversidade de situações onde, com frequência, ocorre a prática do corte-e-queima para preparo de área para plantio. A constatação dos impactos adversos dessa prática evidencia a necessidade de promover a sua substituição via sistemas alternativos que viabilizem a produção agrícola, reduzindo ou evitando o uso do fogo. Embora muitas alternativas disponíveis tenham características de passos de processos de transição agroecológica e a ampliação da sua adoção possa ser beneficiada pela implantação de estratégias de transição social agroecológica, este tipo de prática não vem sendo abordado em estudos sobre processos de transição agroecológica. Este artigo se propõe a analisar exemplos de práticas alternativas à derruba-e-queima na Amazônia brasileira, à luz de processos de transição agroecológica e social agroecológica, como subsídio ao avanço no seu desenvolvimento e adoção, e à formulação e implantação de políticas públicas.The Amazonian agricultural landscape is home to a diversity of situations where often occurs the practice of slash-and-burn for land preparation for planting. The observation of the adverse impacts of this practice highlights the need to promote its replacement via alternative systems that enable agricultural production, reducing or avoiding the use of fire. Although many of the available alternatives have characteristics of ecological transition process steps and the expansion of its adoption can be benefited by the implementation of social-ecological transition strategies, this type of practice has not been addressed in studies on agroecological transition processes. This article sets out to analyse examples of alternatives to practices of slash-and-burn in the Brazilian Amazon, in the light of processes of agroeclogical and social-agroecological transitions, as subsidy to the advancement in their development and adoption and to the formulation and implementation of public policies.Eje A1 Sistemas de producción de base agroecológica (Trabajos científicos)Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Alternativas à agricultura de corte e queima em processos de transição agroecológica: um desafio para a agricultura amazónica

A paisagem agrícola amazônica abriga uma diversidade de situações onde, com frequência, ocorre a prática do corte-e-queima para preparo de área para plantio. A constatação dos impactos adversos dessa prática evidencia a necessidade de promover a sua substituição via sistemas alternativos que viabilizem a produção agrícola, reduzindo ou evitando o uso do fogo. Embora muitas alternativas disponíveis tenham características de passos de processos de transição agroecológica e a ampliação da sua adoção possa ser beneficiada pela implantação de estratégias de transição social agroecológica, este tipo de prática não vem sendo abordado em estudos sobre processos de transição agroecológica. Este artigo se propõe a analisar exemplos de práticas alternativas à derruba-e-queima na Amazônia brasileira, à luz de processos de transição agroecológica e social agroecológica, como subsídio ao avanço no seu desenvolvimento e adoção, e à formulação e implantação de políticas públicas.The Amazonian agricultural landscape is home to a diversity of situations where often occurs the practice of slash-and-burn for land preparation for planting. The observation of the adverse impacts of this practice highlights the need to promote its replacement via alternative systems that enable agricultural production, reducing or avoiding the use of fire. Although many of the available alternatives have characteristics of ecological transition process steps and the expansion of its adoption can be benefited by the implementation of social-ecological transition strategies, this type of practice has not been addressed in studies on agroecological transition processes. This article sets out to analyse examples of alternatives to practices of slash-and-burn in the Brazilian Amazon, in the light of processes of agroeclogical and social-agroecological transitions, as subsidy to the advancement in their development and adoption and to the formulation and implementation of public policies.Eje A1 Sistemas de producción de base agroecológica (Trabajos científicos)Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

MiR-543 regulates the epigenetic landscape of myelofibrosis by targeting TET1 and TET2

Myelofibros is (MF) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by cytopenia and extramedullary hematopoiesis, resulting in splenomegaly. Multiple pathological mechanisms (e.g., circulating cytokines and genetic alterations, such as JAK(V617F) mutation) have been implicated in the etiology of MF, but the molecular mechanism causing resistance to JAK(V617F) inhibitor therapy remains unknown. Among MF patients who were treated with the JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib, we compared noncoding RNA profiles of ruxolitinib therapy responders versus nonresponders and found miR-S43 was significantly upregulated in non responders. We validated these findings by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. in this same cohort, in 2 additional independent MF patient cohorts from the United States and Romania, and in a JAK2(V617F) mouse model of MF. Both in vitro and in vivo models were used to determine the underlying molecular mechanism of miR-543 in MF. Here, we demonstrate that miR-543 targets the dioxygenases ten-eleven translocation 1 (TET1) and 2 (TET2) in patients and in vitro, causing increased levels of global 5-methylcytosine, while decreasing the acetylation of histone 3, STAT3, and tumor protein p53. Mechanistically, we found that activation of STAT3 by JAKs epigenetically controls miR-543 expression via binding the promoter region of miR-543. Furthermore, miR-543 upregulation promotes the expression of genes related to drug metabolism, including CYP3A4, which is involved in ruxolitinib metabolism. Our findings suggest miR-543 as a potentially novel biomarker for the prognosis of MF patients with a high risk of treatment resistance and as a potentially new target for the development of new treatment options

Disinfection of Ocular Cells and Tissues by Atmospheric-Pressure Cold Plasma

Background: Low temperature plasmas have been proposed in medicine as agents for tissue disinfection and have received increasing attention due to the frequency of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. This study explored whether atmospheric-pressure cold plasma (APCP) generated by a new portable device that ionizes a flow of helium gas can inactivate ocular pathogens without causing significant tissue damage. Methodology and Principal Findings: We tested the APCP effects on cultured Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus and Herpes simplex virus-1, ocular cells (conjunctival fibroblasts and keratocytes) and ex-vivo corneas. Exposure to APCP for 0.5 to 5 minutes significantly reduced microbial viability (colony-forming units) but not human cell viability (MTT assay, FACS and Tunel analysis) or the number of HSV-1 plaque-forming units. Increased levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in exposed microorganisms and cells were found using a FACS-activated 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate probe. Immunoassays demonstrated no induction of thymine dimers in cell cultures and corneal tissues. A transient increased expression of 8-OHdG, genes and proteins related to oxidative stress (OGG1, GPX, NFE2L2) was determined in ocular cells and corneas by HPLC, qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Conclusions: A short application of APCP appears to be an efficient and rapid ocular disinfectant for bacteria and fungi without significant damage on ocular cells and tissues, although the treatment of conjunctival fibroblasts and keratocytes caused a time-restricted generation of intracellular ROS and oxidative stress-related responses