Model-based estimation of transmissibility and reinfection of SARS-CoV-2 P.1 variant

Acknowledgements We are grateful for the collaborative work of the reviewers and the entire group of the Observatório COVID-19 BR. In particular, we thank Verônica Coelho for critical inputs. We also thank the research funding agencies: the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brazil (Finance Code 001 to F.M.D.M., L.S.F. and T.P.P.), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico—Brazil (grant number: 315854/2020-0 to M.E.B., 141698/2018-7 to R.L.P.S., 313055/2020-3 to P.I.P., 312559/2020-8 to M.A.S.M.V., 311832/2017-2 to R.A.K., 305703/2019-6 to A.A.M.S.) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo—Brazil (grant number: 2019/26310-2 and 2017/26770-8 to C.F., 2018/26512-1 to O.C., 2018/24037-4 to S.P. and contract number: 2016/01343-7 to R.A.K.). The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.Peer reviewe

The Science of Sungrazers, Sunskirters, and Other Near-Sun Comets

This review addresses our current understanding of comets that venture close to the Sun, and are hence exposed to much more extreme conditions than comets that are typically studied from Earth. The extreme solar heating and plasma environments that these objects encounter change many aspects of their behaviour, thus yielding valuable information on both the comets themselves that complements other data we have on primitive solar system bodies, as well as on the near-solar environment which they traverse. We propose clear definitions for these comets: We use the term near-Sun comets to encompass all objects that pass sunward of the perihelion distance of planet Mercury (0.307 AU). Sunskirters are defined as objects that pass within 33 solar radii of the Sun’s centre, equal to half of Mercury’s perihelion distance, and the commonly-used phrase sungrazers to be objects that reach perihelion within 3.45 solar radii, i.e. the fluid Roche limit. Finally, comets with orbits that intersect the solar photosphere are termed sundivers. We summarize past studies of these objects, as well as the instruments and facilities used to study them, including space-based platforms that have led to a recent revolution in the quantity and quality of relevant observations. Relevant comet populations are described, including the Kreutz, Marsden, Kracht, and Meyer groups, near-Sun asteroids, and a brief discussion of their origins. The importance of light curves and the clues they provide on cometary composition are emphasized, together with what information has been gleaned about nucleus parameters, including the sizes and masses of objects and their families, and their tensile strengths. The physical processes occurring at these objects are considered in some detail, including the disruption of nuclei, sublimation, and ionisation, and we consider the mass, momentum, and energy loss of comets in the corona and those that venture to lower altitudes. The different components of comae and tails are described, including dust, neutral and ionised gases, their chemical reactions, and their contributions to the near-Sun environment. Comet-solar wind interactions are discussed, including the use of comets as probes of solar wind and coronal conditions in their vicinities. We address the relevance of work on comets near the Sun to similar objects orbiting other stars, and conclude with a discussion of future directions for the field and the planned ground- and space-based facilities that will allow us to address those science topics

Social roles and aging from a life-span perspective

Este trabalho investigou os papéis sociais e as tarefas evolutivas desempenhados por adultos. O local escolhido para investigação foi um assentamento de famílias de baixa renda do Distrito Federal criado em 1989. Utilizou-se um questionário contendo 17 questões abertas e 15 questões fechadas, preenchido pela primeira autora durante uma visita domiciliar. Participaram 98 respondentes (73 F e 25 M), sendo 51 entre 50 e 59 anos e 47 a partir de 60 anos. Os resultados apontaram que este grupo é heterogêneo e que seus papéis sociais são influenciados pelas variáveis demográficas (idade, sexo, escolaridade, ocupação, naturalidade e estado civil) e também pelas variáveis relativas à moradia atual. Concluiu-se também que as expectativas sociais, o suporte social e a escolarização são fatores de suma importância para oferecer recursos para a otimização e compensação necessárias a um envelhecimento bem sucedido. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThis study investigated the social roles and developmental tasks of adults. The study took place in a settlement of low-income families, created in The Federal District in 1989. Data were collected through a questionnaire composed of 17 open and 15 closed questions, administered by the first author during a home visit. There were 98 respondents, 73 female and 25 male, being 51 between 50 to 59 years old and 47 elders above the age of 60. The result indicated that this group is heterogeneous and that its social roles are influenced by the demographic variables - age, sex, educational level, work, place of the birth and marital status, as well for the relative variables to current residence. The data allow the conclusion that social expectations, social support and the educational level are important resources for the optimization and necessary compensation to successful aging

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time, and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space. While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes, vast areas of the tropics remain understudied. In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity, but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases. To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge, it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Biological rhythms and photoperiod in fish

Biological rhythms are defined as any event that repeats on a regular basis in an organism; they are cyclical events, synchronized by an environmental cue. When fish are submitted to the daily light/dark cycle of the photoperiod, they show a pattern of locomotor activity that can be classified as diurnal, nocturnal or crepuscular. This cycle of light/dark has been considered as one of the most important environmental factors which synchronize biological rhythms, particularly as a key factor for the rhythmic synchronization of activity in fish. The feed cycle also acts as a potent synchronizer on the control of locomotor activity. This is demonstrated by feed anticipation activity as a biological rhythm, i.e., the capacity with which fish can skillfully predict and anticipate the recurring event of regular feeding. These anticipatory responses to feeding probably work under an endogenous control, where fish need to optimize the capture of food as well as the digestive and metabolic processes required in order to concentrate the feed intake in a shorter period of time, thus improving the use of nutrients. The biological clock in fish is generally considered to be controlled by a multiphotorreceptor and multioscillator system in which pineal gland, brain and retina are the main structures involved in the photic signal transduction which establishes a circadian rhythm in fish. The coupling between these structures can vary between species and individuals according to physiological and environmental conditions, resulting in a plasticity of the circadian system in teleost fish. Manipulation of the photoperiod in order to enhance fish growth has become increasingly common in the production of several commercial species. The photoperiod, among other environmental factors, presents the greatest influence on the biological clock of fish, affecting weight gain, feed intake, feed efficiency, energy expenditure, locomotor activity, repro-duction, and other physiological parameters related to stress. Therefore, improving our knowledge on the physiology of biological rhythms is essential to optimize the production of fish.Os ritmos biológicos são definidos como qualquer evento que se repete de maneira regular em um organismo, sendo um evento cíclico caracterizado por um ambiente do qual o animal pode se adaptar. Os peixes, quando submetidos ao ciclo diário de luz/escuro do fotoperíodo demonstram um padrão de atividade locomotora que os podem classificar como diurnos, noturnos e crepusculares. Este ciclo de luz/escuro tem sido considerado um dos mais importantes fatores ambientais sincronizadores do ritmo biológico, sendo o fator chave para sincronização do ritmo de atividade em peixes. O ciclo alimentar também atua como um potente sincronizador sobre o controle da atividade locomotora. Este é demonstrado através da atividade alimentar antecipatória como ritmo biológico, isto é, a capacidade em que os peixes conseguem prever com habilidade e antecipar um recorrente evento que é a alimentação. Estas respostas antecipatórias à alimentação provavelmente funcionam sob um controle endógeno, onde os peixes precisam otimizar a captura do alimento, assim como os processos digestivos e metabólicos, para poder concentrar a ingestão de alimento em um menor intervalo de tempo, melhorando, portanto, a utilização dos nutrientes. O controle do relógio biológico em peixes é considerado como um multifotorreceptor e sistema multioscilador. A existência de um oscilador circadiano tem sido sugerida através da pineal, retina e o cérebro, estando estas estruturas envolvidas na transdução do sinal fótico para estabelecer um rítmo circadiano em peixes. O acoplamento entre essas estruturas pode variar em cada indivíduo de acordo com as condições fisiológicas e ambientais, resultando em uma plasticidade no sistema circadiano de peixes teleósteos. A manipulação do fotoperíodo com objetivo de aprimorar o crescimento dos peixes tem se tornado cada vez mais frequente dentro da produção de várias espécies de interesse comercial. O fotoperíodo, dentre outros fatores ambientais, é o que apresenta maior influência sobre o relógio biológico dos peixes ao afetar o ganho de peso, a ingestão de alimento, a eficiência alimentar, o gasto de energia, a atividade locomotora, a reprodução, bem como outros parâmetros fisiológicos relacionados ao estresse. Portanto, o controle e o conhecimento fisiológico deste ritmo biológico torna-se fundamental para otimização da produção de peixes