Influência do El niño e La niña nos Campos de Precipitação e Temperatura na Reserva de Caxiuanã , PA - Amazônia Oriental

The El Niño and La Niña influences on air temperature andprecipitation data measured in a meteorological tower at the CaxiuanãNational Reserve –Pará state for August-October period during 2006 to2008 years are investigated in the present paper. In August 2006 startedan El Niño event and in August 2007 begun a La Niña event. However,since June 2008, a neutral period concerning sea surface temperature (SST)was observed in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Comparing the monthlyprecipitation, it was verified a decrease in rainfall during the El Niño,while during La Niña it was observed an increase in rainfall.São estudadas influências dos fenômenos El Niño e La Niñanos campos da temperatura do ar e da precipitação medidos nos trimestresde agosto a outubro dos anos de 2006 a 2008, em torre meteorológicana Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã-PA. Agosto de 2006 marca o início deum evento de El Niño e Agosto de 2007 marca o início de um evento deLa Niña, sendo que a partir de junho de 2008 iniciou-se um período deneutralidade referente à temperatura da superfície do mar (TSM) do OceanoPacifico. Comparando-se os valores mensais da precipitação observa-se uma diminuição da chuva durante o El Niño, enquanto que durantea La Niña ocorreu o aumento da chuva

Variabilidade da Direção do Vento Acima da Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, PA

The wind direction variability for the Caxiuanã National Foresthas been investigated with 2008 data, for rainy (march) and dry (october)periods, at 9, 12 and 15h (local time). The presented results show thatthere is north-easterly dominant wind direction during all analyzedperiods. However, some mean wind velocity fluctuations have beendetected depending on the considered observation hour.Foi estudada a variabilidade da direção do vento na FlorestaNacional de Caxiuanã, para um período chuvoso (março) e seco (outubro)ano de 2008. Foram considerados dados das 9,12 e 15h. Os resultadosapresentados mostraram que existe uma predominância de ventos denordestes em todos os períodos analisados. Porém notaram-se pequenasflutuações na direção do vento médio dependendo do horário do diaconsiderado

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism influences orthotopic liver transplantation outcomes in patients with hepatitis C virus-induced liver cirrhosis

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is responsible for a chronic liver inflammation, which may cause end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Apolipoprotein E (protein: ApoE, gene: APOE), a key player in cholesterol metabolism, is mainly synthesized in the liver and APOE polymorphisms may influence HCV-induced liver damage. AIM: To determine whether APOE alleles affect outcomes in HCV-infected patients with liver cirrhosis following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). METHODS: This was a cohort study in which 179 patients, both genders and aged 34-70 years, were included before or after (up to 10 years follow-up) OLT. Liver injury severity was assessed using different criteria, including METAVIR and models for end-stage liver disease. APOE polymorphisms were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The APOE3 allele was the most common (67.3%). In inflammation severity of biopsies from 89 OLT explants and 2 patients in pre-transplant, the degree of severe inflammation (A3F4, 0.0%) was significantly less frequent than in patients with minimal and moderate degree of inflammation (≤ A2F4, 16.2%) P = 0.048, in patients carrying the APOE4 allele when compared to non-APOE4. In addition, a significant difference was also found (≤ A2F4, 64.4% vs A3F4, 0.0%; P = 0.043) and (A1F4, 57.4% vs A3F4, 0.0%; P = 0.024) in APOE4 patients when compared to APOE3 carriers. The fibrosis degree of the liver graft in 8 of 91 patients and the lack of the E4 allele was associated with more moderate fibrosis (F2) (P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the E4 allele protects against progression of liver fibrosis and degree of inflammation in HCV-infected patients

Variabilidade da Skewness da Temperatura Potencial Equivalente na Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, PA

Potential equivalent temperature ( θe ) data have been analyzedregarding 2008 wet season (Julian day 64) and dry season (Julian day276). The data have been measured upon 10 Hz sampling rate at ameteorological tower built in National Caxiuanã Forest, Pará. The resultsaccusing difference to Skewness of θe value during daytime period andvalue alternate Skewness of θe to nightly period, to one day for eachseason (wet and dry).Foram analisados dados da temperatura potencial equivalente( θe ) ao longo de dois dias (julianos) do ano de 2008: 64, no períodoúmido, e 276, no período seco, com dados amostrados a 10 Hz, em torreda Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, Pará. Os resultados indicam diferençaspara valores da Skewness de θe no período diurno, e alternância devalores da Skewness de θe para o período noturno, durante um dia decada estação (úmida e seca)

Genome-wide signatures of complex introgression and adaptive evolution in the big cats.

The great cats of the genus Panthera comprise a recent radiation whose evolutionary history is poorly understood. Their rapid diversification poses challenges to resolving their phylogeny while offering opportunities to investigate the historical dynamics of adaptive divergence. We report the sequence, de novo assembly, and annotation of the jaguar (Panthera onca) genome, a novel genome sequence for the leopard (Panthera pardus), and comparative analyses encompassing all living Panthera species. Demographic reconstructions indicated that all of these species have experienced variable episodes of population decline during the Pleistocene, ultimately leading to small effective sizes in present-day genomes. We observed pervasive genealogical discordance across Panthera genomes, caused by both incomplete lineage sorting and complex patterns of historical interspecific hybridization. We identified multiple signatures of species-specific positive selection, affecting genes involved in craniofacial and limb development, protein metabolism, hypoxia, reproduction, pigmentation, and sensory perception. There was remarkable concordance in pathways enriched in genomic segments implicated in interspecies introgression and in positive selection, suggesting that these processes were connected. We tested this hypothesis by developing exome capture probes targeting ~19,000 Panthera genes and applying them to 30 wild-caught jaguars. We found at least two genes (DOCK3 and COL4A5, both related to optic nerve development) bearing significant signatures of interspecies introgression and within-species positive selection. These findings indicate that post-speciation admixture has contributed genetic material that facilitated the adaptive evolution of big cat lineages