Mesenchymal stromal cells induce regulatory T cells via epigenetic conversion of human conventional CD4 T cells in vitro.

Regulatory T cells (Treg) play a critical role in immune tolerance. The scarcity of Treg therapy clinical trials in humans has been largely due to the difficulty in obtaining sufficient Treg numbers. We performed a preclinical investigation on the potential of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to expand Treg in vitro to support future clinical trials. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors were cocultured with allogeneic bone marrow-derived MSCs expanded under xenogeneic-free conditions. Our data show an increase in the counts and frequency of CD4+ CD25high Foxp3+ CD127low Treg cells (4- and 6-fold, respectively) after a 14-day coculture. However, natural Treg do not proliferate in coculture with MSCs. When purified conventional CD4 T cells (Tcon) are cocultured with MSCs, only cells that acquire a Treg-like phenotype proliferate. These MSC-induced Treg-like cells also resemble Treg functionally, since they suppress autologous Tcon proliferation. Importantly, the DNA methylation profile of MSC-induced Treg-like cells more closely resembles that of natural Treg than of Tcon, indicating that this population is stable. The expression of PD-1 is higher in Treg-like cells than in Tcon, whereas the frequency of PDL-1 increases in MSCs after coculture. TGF-β levels are also significantly increased MSC cocultures. Overall, our data suggest that Treg enrichment by MSCs results from Tcon conversion into Treg-like cells, rather than to expansion of natural Treg, possibly through mechanisms involving TGF-β and/or PD-1/PDL-1 expression. This MSC-induced Treg population closely resembles natural Treg in terms of phenotype, suppressive ability, and methylation profile

Remembrance as a body of time : dialogues about communication and temporalities in Jo?o Guimar?es Rosa.

Aqui, abordamos a demanda comunicacional de culto ? velocidade/acelera??o do tempo e seu confronto com a ideia de demora/contempla??o. Exemplo desse embate entre pressa e vagar, o conto A Terceira Margem do Rio, de Jo?o Guimar?es Rosa, mostra-se uma metodologia de reflex?o. Por ele, acionamos a lembran?a (um cerne do conto) como a esteira de uma temporalidade ?nica (ou um rio que corre infinitamente), associamos outras figuras midi?ticas e travamos di?logos sobre comunica??o e temporalidades.This paper discusses the communicational demand for the cult of speed/acceleration of time and its confrontation with the idea of delay/contemplation. An example of this conflict between hurry and slowness, the short story A Terceira Margem do Rio, by Jo?o Guimar?es Rosa, represents a methodology for reflection. Through it, we trigger the remembrance (the core of the story) as a unique temporality (or a river that flows endlessly), we associate other media figures, and we engage in dialogues about communication and temporalities

Between Lolita and Lana Del Rey : market fabrications of sexuality in the female body under the notions of gesture, presence and fading.

Neste artigo, trabalhamos a possibilidade de explora??o mercadol?gica do corpo da cantora estadunidense Lana Del Rey por meio da ret?rica da sexualidade. Verificamos tal manifesta??o a partir da an?lise da sexualidade em Lana durante sua apresenta??o em S?o Paulo, no Festival Planeta Terra, em 2013, com vistas a perspectivas metodol?gicas de gesto, presen?a e o que denominamos como esvanecimento entre Del Rey e a personagem Lolita, de Vladimir Nabokov, aura convocada pela artista em seu show. Enxergamos a discursividade em torno da sexualidade como pragm?tica mercantil que organiza os afetos dos sujeitos que com esse corpo se relacionam. Objeto de consumo de uma l?gica cultural do capitalismo tardio, esse corpo vend?vel n?o rompe, entretanto, com um car?ter representativo, sendo indicativo de disputas na cultura pop.In this article, we work the possibility of market exploration of the American singer Lana Del Rey?s body through the rhetoric of sexuality. We perceived this manifestation from the analysis of sexuality in Lana during her presentation in Sao Paulo, in Planeta Terra Festival, in 2013, in view of the methodological perspectives of gesture, presence and what we denominate as fading between Del Rey and Vladimir Nabokov?s Lolita character, an aura summoned by the artist in her show. We see the discursivity around sexuality as a mercantile pragmatics that organizes the subjects? affection to the body with which they relate. Consumption objects of a late capitalism cultural logic, this saleable body does not, however, break with a representative character, being indicative of disputes within pop culture

The use of a geographic information system to increase outdoor tourism

Purpose: Outdoor tourism is a growing segment that still requires data for planning and management. Aimed to present the potential of the Geographic Information System (GIS) to improve outdoor tourism in the North of Portugal. To achieve this purpose, a case study was conducted on developing a Web-GIS in Northern Portugal. Methodology: Four steps were followed to develop the GIS tool with information about outdoor tourism in the North of Portugal. In the first step, municipalities in the North of Portugal sent information about outdoor activities. In the second step, the data were georeferenced and associated. In the last step, a Web-GIS was developed. Findings: The development of tools is an important source of support for tourism. This study identified that a tool such as the GIS could support a destination's decision-making and promotional processes, besides providing detailed information to the tourist and facilitating travel planning. Practical implications: GIS provides effective planning of outdoor tourism, once this tool allows an effective search of the tourist offer and, from the tourist's perspective, relevant suggestions of visits according to their location are presented, facilitating their experience in the region. Originality: Several studies relate to GIS and tourism, but there is still a gap in specific studies on outdoor activities. So, this study presents the importance of GIS to improve outdoor tourism in the North region of Portugal. Understanding this importance is essential in planning and managing tourism, helping further policymaking and marketing strategies.B913-0565-0908 | Elvira VieiraN/

Productivity measurement: the case of nature tourism firms in Portugal

Productivity measurement in the tourism sector has been raising increasing interest among researchers and is recognised as an important indicator for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the sector and for enhancing its spillover effects on the economy. However, studies for Portugal and the particular activities included in the set of nature tourism activities are scarce. To overcome this research gap, this paper calculates the labour productivity and total factor productivity (TFP) measures of nature tourism firms to compare firms? productivity performance across NUTS II regions in mainland Portugal during 2014?2017. Using data from SABI, Quadros do Pessoal, INE and the National Tourism Registry, the sample consists of 369 firms, representing 55% of firms operating in nature tourism in the mainland. Results show that the levels of TFP, unlike to labour productivity, are uneven over time and space. In 2015, a year of change in the business cycle, all regions experienced a negative increase in TFP except the Metropolitan Region of Lisbon, which seems to indicate that nature tourism in most of the country is less resilient to external economic shocks, performing better in periods of prosperity. Labour productivity growth does not present, in general, consistently positive results.B913-0565-0908 | Elvira Vieirainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

INFLUENCE OF ECOLOGICAL GROUP COMPOSITION, PLANTATION SPACING AND ARRANGEMENT IN THE RESTORATION OF RIPARIAN FOREST ON RESERVOIR SHORES

This work aimed to assess the effect of spacing, arrangement and ecological group composition of planted seedlings on the restoration process of artificial reservoir shores in southeastern Brazil. The assessments were performed 12 years after the settlement of the experiment in which five mixed stand models were tested. First, a general evaluation of the stand was performed when we surveyed the overstory and understory, seed bank and soil for chemical analysis.Then, the restoration indicators survival of planted trees, basal area and density of the tree community, litter accumulated on the soil and canopy closure index were utilized to compare the plantation models and to assess the influence the experimental factors on these parameters. In the general analysis, we found that the studied stand presents low diversity, poor regeneration, and seed bank dominated mostly by one planted exotic tree species and weeds, which may jeopardize the selfmaintenance of the stand in the future. The factor that most influenced the models was the ecological group composition with the best performance found for models in which both pioneer and non-pioneer groups were used. Probably, the plantation arrangement and spacing did not have greater influence due to both plant mortality and natural regeneration that has developed to this age. Hence, it is not recommended the use of only pioneer species in the implantation of riparian forest and the proportion of 50% pioneers and 50% non-pioneers using as much species as possible is indicated for areas that might present constraints for the natural regeneration.Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito do espa\ue7amento, arranjo e composi\ue7\ue3o de grupos ecol\uf3gicos das mudas plantadas no processo de restaura\ue7\ue3o de margem de reservat\uf3rio artificial no sudeste do Brasil. As avalia\ue7\uf5es foram realizadas 12 anos ap\uf3s a implanta\ue7\ue3o do experimento em que cinco modelos de plantios mistos foram testados. Primeiramente, fez-se uma avali\ue7\ue3o geral do povoamento por meio de levantamentos do estrato arb\uf3reo, regenerante, banco de sementes e de an\ue1lise qu\uedmica e textural do solo. Em seguida, lan\ue7ou-se m\ue3o dos indicadores de recupera\ue7\ue3o sobreviv\ueancia das \ue1rvores plantadas, \ue1rea basal e densidade da comunidade arb\uf3rea, ac\ufamulo de serapilheira sobre o solo e \uedndice de fechamento do dossel para comparar os modelos e checar a influ\ueancia dos fatores experimentais nestes par\ue2metros. Como resultado da an\ue1lise geral, obteve-se que o povoamento encontra-se em situa\ue7\ue3o de baixa diversidade, com regenera\ue7\ue3o deficiente e banco de sementes dominado majoritariamente por uma esp\ue9cie arb\uf3rea ex\uf3tica utilizada no plantio e esp\ue9cies herb\ue1ceas invasoras, o que pode comprometer a automanuten\ue7\ue3o do povoamento no futuro. O fator que mais influenciou os modelos foi a composi\ue7\ue3o de grupos ecol\uf3gicos com os melhores resultados apresentados pelos modelos em que se usaram ambos os grupos das pioneiras e n\ue3o pioneiras. Provavelmente, o arranjo e o espa\ue7amento de plantio n\ue3o tiveram muita influ\ueancia devido \ue0 mortalidade das mudas e \ue0 regenera\ue7\ue3o natural que se desenvolveu at\ue9 esta idade. Assim, recomenda-se que na implanta\ue7\ue3o de povoamentos para reconstitui\ue7\ue3o de matas ciliares n\ue3o sejam utilizadas apenas esp\ue9cies pioneiras e sugere-se que a propor\ue7\ue3o de 50% de esp\ue9cies pioneiras e 50% de n\ue3o pioneiras, com o maior n\ufamero poss\uedvel de esp\ue9cies, seja utilizada em \ue1reas com defici\ueancia da regenera\ue7\ue3o natural