Inventário e avaliação quantitativa de geossítios: exemplo de aplicação ao patrimônio geológico do município de Caçapava do Sul (RS, Brasil)

This paper presents an inventory and quantitative assessment of 46 geosites, which compose the geological heritage of the municipality of Caçapava do Sul, important center of geoscience research in the Rio Grande do Sul State. The selected sites comprise large areas, single outcrops and potential highway viewpoints that represent the four main geological contexts of the considered territory. The applied quantitative assessment system considers six sets of criteria: geoscience, ecology, culture, esthetics, economy and potential use. Its application results in educational (Veduc), tourist (Vtur) and protection need (Vprot) indexes in the scale from 1 to 10, for each of the geosites. The study highlighted the sites Pedras das Guaritas, Pedra do Segredo, and Pedra do Leão as having great potential for education and tourism, as well as for outdoor sports. Sites with conflict between geoheritage significance and economic exploration, as the Caieiras and Minas do Camaquã mining districts, resulted in the most expressive protection need indexes. The obtained results allowed the definition and suggestion of priorities for public, private, and third-sector institutions concerning possible geoconservation initiatives. Such initiatives shall integrate education, tourism, infrastructure development, and the establishment of protected areas for this region of singular natural heritage with a huge potential for sustainable development.Este trabalho apresenta um inventário, com valoração quantitativa, de 46 geossítios componentes do patrimônio geológico do Município de Caçapava do Sul, região importante na pesquisa geocientífica no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Os lugares selecionados para avaliação, contemplando grandes áreas, afloramentos simples e potenciais miradores em rodovias, representam os quatro grandes contextos geológicos inseridos no território municipal. O sistema de valoração aplicado considera critérios geocientíficos, ecológicos, culturais, estéticos, econômicos e de uso potencial, resultando em índices (na escala de 1 a 10) de valor educativo (Veduc), turístico (Vtur) e de necessidade de proteção (Vprot) para cada um dos geossítios. Os destaques do estudo são as Pedras das Guaritas, a Pedra do Segredo e a Pedra do Leão, entre diversos outros geossítios com grande potencial para educação, turismo e esportes de aventura na natureza. Lugares de conflito entre sua importância geopatrimonial e sua exploração econômica, como a área das Caieiras e as Minas do Camaquã, resultam nos maiores valores de necessidade de proteção. Os resultados permitiram a definição e sugestão de prioridades de atuação para instituições públicas, privadas e do terceiro setor em suas iniciativas de geoconservação. Tais iniciativas devem integrar projetos educacionais e turísticos, implantação da infraestrutura necessária, e ainda estabelecimento de unidades de conservação da natureza (UC) naquela região de patrimônio natural singular e de grande potencial para o desenvolvimento sustentável

Challenging the diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis in a patient carrying the 186-8T/C allelic variant in the CF Transmembrane Conductance Regulator gene

BACKGROUND: This report describe for the first time a clinical case with a CFTR allelic variant 186-8T/C (c.54-8 T/C) in intron 1 of CFTR and underline the importance of applying a combination of genetic and functional tests to establish or exclude a diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis. In this case the diagnostic algorithm proposed for CF has been successfully applied at our Center and previous CF diagnosis assigned in a different Center was not confirmed.Case report: A 38 year-old Italian woman had been treated as affected by CF since 2010, following diagnosis based on sweat tests (reported values of 73 and 57 mEq/L) and a clinical history consistent with CF. No mutations were identified by first level of genetic analysis. Afterwards the patient referred to our center for assessing the relevance of these findings. The genetic variant 186-8T/C (c.54-8 T/C) in intron 1 of the CFTR gene was detected by sequencing. Low-level interstitial-alveolar infiltration was recorded by high-resolution computerized tomography. Lung function was normal and sputum and Broncho Alveolar Lavage cultures resulted bacteriologically negative. Sweat chloride levels was re-assessed and resulted with values of 57 and 35 mEq/L, with a borderline range between 40 and 60 mEq/L. Nasal Potential Difference measurements resulted in three reliable measurements consistent with a non-CF phenotype. Differential diagnosis with ciliary dyskinesia was excluded, as was exon 2 skipping of CFTR gene that might have caused a CFTR functional defect. Furthermore, single cell fluorescence analysis in response to cAMP agonists performed in patient's monocytes overlapped those obtained in healthy donors. CONCLUSION: We concluded that this patient was not affected by CF. This case highlights the need for referrals to highly specialized centers and the importance of combined functional and genetic tests in making a correct diagnosis. Moreover, we confirmed a correlation between NPD tracings and cell depolarization in monocytes providing a rationale for proposing the use of leukocytes as a potential support for CF diagnosis

Semi-automated bathymetry using Sentinel-2 for coastal monitoring in the Western Mediterranean

Nearshore bathymetry is one of the main parameters used in coastal studies. However, regular and continuous bathymetries are scarce due to the difficulty of continuous data collection using traditional surveys. Remote sensing offers an attractive alternative to conventional collection methods for acquiring freely available, reliable, and frequent high-resolution data from space missions, such as the European Union's Copernicus programme Sentinel-2A/B satellites, which are increasingly demonstrating their potential to derive bathymetric information. Consequently, satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) is being used more regularly because of its low cost and high efficiency. In this study, we apply a log-transformed band ratio SDB model in the Western Mediterranean Sea (Mallorca Island, Spain). This model has been widely used in the Caribbean and along the U.S. coast, among other sites, with outstanding results in heterogeneous environments. The SDB model consists of an automatic multi-scene approach applied over several images corrected by a robust atmospheric correction model (ACOLITE), a switching model, and a procedure to remove pixels from optically deep waters. We retrieve depths up to 14 m with a mean bias of 0.02 m and a median absolute error of 0.71 m compared with multibeam echo-sounder (MBES) data. The outcomes of this study confirm the effectiveness of the multi-scene approach to automatically correct the imagery to derive accurate depths and characterize erosional and accretion patterns annually. Furthermore, it highlights the benefit of the switching model to take advantage of the spectral sensitivity of different multi-band ratio approaches. This study will provide the scientific community with substantial knowledge and improved SDB techniques to consolidate the understanding of nearshore processes in such a relevant ecosystem as the Mediterranean Sea