PUBLIC VALUE AND IT CAPACITY IN AN UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT: CASE STUDY IN GOVERNMENT AGENCY

This study addresses, in a qualitative method, the explanation of how technical artifacts are socially constructed, providing IT flexibility, allowing operational capacity to generate public value. One of the premises of the Public Value Operational Capacity points out that flexibility is a fundamental aspect for success in government agencies. The study consists of a qualitative analysis of the revealing single-case study method. A preliminary analysis indicates a deficiency in the social constructions of IT artifacts, considering that the objectives in government organization are constantly changing due to changes in public policy. As a result, this study helps bridge the gap through a theoretical perspective on IT flexibility by providing an intuitive approach to IT management and public value management. From a practical point of view, we believe the results of this study will offer several management implications for IT and public policy managers

Insectos acuáticos en hábitats orgánicos e inorgánicos de corrientes de las sabanas centro- brasileñas.

Una parte importante de los mecanismos que afectan la distribución de las especies está relacionada con las condiciones ambientales. Dentro de un canal de corriente la acumulación de sustratos como hojas, raíces, piedras, grava y arena crean hábitats que actúan como fuente de refugio y alimento para las diferentes espécies de las comunidades acuáticas, propiciando o no su establecimiento. Basado en este hecho, se estudió la estructura de las comunidades de insectos acuáticos en hábitats orgánicos e inorgánicos dentro de corrientes del bioma Cerrado. Se analizaron las diferencias en la riqueza de géneros (i), la abundancia individual (ii) y la composición de géneros (iii). Asimismo (iv) se verificó si existen bioindicadores específicos de hábitats orgánicos o inorgánicos. Se muestrearon substratos orgánicos (basura) e inorgánicos (arena y grava) en cinco estaciones de tres arroyos, recolectando individuos de los órdenes Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Odonata y Heteroptera (EPTOH). Se encontró que la composición de las comunidades difiere entre hábitats, ya que el substrato orgánico presenta mayor riqueza y abundancia, congéneros exclusivos (seis). Esta diferencia puede ser debida a la fuente de refugio y alimentación proporcionada por los substratos orgánicos

Understanding the mobility of potential nutrients in rock mining by-products: An opportunity for more sustainable agriculture and mining

The increase in demand for highly soluble fertilizers brings a global sustainability concern. Alternative sources for traditional fertilization are therefore needed. Rock powder use has been proposed as an alternative approach to soil remineralization. However, research on the agricultural potential of minerals and rocks as alternative sources of nutrients is limited to changes in soil chemical attributes or effects on crop yield. In this work, we report an experimental study addressing the dissolution of two silicate rock-derived powders (andesite and dacite) that were produced during mining activities in Southern Brazil. The rock powders were exposed to Milli-Q water at pH (7.4–8.8) range, in solutions of 0.1 mol L−1 citric acid at pH range 2.1–3.3, and Milli-Q water acidified with 0.5 mol l−1 acetic acid (pH 5–5.8), in a continuous mechanical rotatory shaker at room temperature. Dissolution kinetics were determined as a function of reaction times at 24 to 5760 h, and solution pH. Based on this kinetics, dissolution rates were determined for the individual powders and compared to expected values for aluminosilicates. Based on this comparison, it was shown that the application of andesite and dacite rock-derived powder to replace high soluble fertilizers is feasible due to high dissolution rates of their minerals. The average andesite dissolution rates in Milli-Q water, in citric acid solution, and in Milli-Q water acidified with acetic acid were 2.1 × 10−5, 1.92 × 10−1 and 6.3 × 10−4 mmol cm−2 s−1, respectively for Ca, being 183%, 22.6%, and 69.2% higher than for the dacite rock. This make andesite rock a potential substitute for carbonate-based liming. In contrast, the average dacite dissolution rates in Milli-Q water, in citric acid solution, and in Milli-Q water acidified with acetic acid were 1.05 × 10–5, 7.22 × 10−5, and 3.72 × 10−5 mmol cm−2 s−1, respectively for K, being 72.0%, 61.4%, and 73.6% higher than the andesite rock. This highlights its potential use as a K source for agriculture to replace highly soluble K-fertilizers

INTELLIGENCE PROFILE OF CHILDREN WITH A HISTORY OF INSTITUTIONAL CARE: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Intelligence is the general mental capacity that involves using the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly and learn from experience, in addition to allowing the acquisition of new learning over time that require logical and abstract relationships, as well as the ability to solve increasingly complex problems. Despite the prominent role played by genetic inheritance, when analyzing the different trajectories of human development, empirical evidence reveals the influence of the context on the development of intelligence and the structuring of distinct intellectual profiles over time. One of these development contexts may be the Institutional Home, a protective measure aimed at guaranteeing the rights and protection of children and adolescents. Thus, this study aimed to describe the intelligence profile of children with a history of institutionalization in the Metropolitan Region of Belém. This is a longitudinal study, of a quantitative and qualitative nature, in which 15 children, located in two municipalities in the metropolitan region of Belém, who were in the childcare services participated. Data collection took place between December 2017 and December 2018, in three stages, with an interval of six months between each stage, forming two different groups: Group 1, formed by four children institutionalized throughout the research and Group 2, consisting of eleven children who were with their family at the last moment of the collection. The results show statistically significant differences regarding the average IQ in the three assessment moments, emphasizing that children in G1 have a low intellectual profile when compared to the participants in G2. Cognitive development was associated with the interaction of the individual attributes of each participant with the characteristics of their developmental context. In this sense, the existence of an unfavorable particularity, such as having psychopathological complications and being in an institutional environment, generated a low intellectual profile. On the other hand, having experienced situations of vulnerability and institutionalization, without the emergence of severe mental disorders and being reinserted in the family, made it possible to overcome intellectual damage generated by adverse experiences, provided that in the family context there were adults available for establishing a bond, carrying out joint activities and providing personalized care

A Membrane-bound eIF2 Alpha Kinase Located in Endosomes Is Regulated by Heme and Controls Differentiation and ROS Levels in Trypanosoma cruzi

Translation initiation has been described as a key step for the control of growth and differentiation of several protozoan parasites in response to environmental changes. This occurs by the activation of protein kinases that phosphorylate the alpha subunit of the translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2 alpha), which decreases translation, and in higher eukaryotes favors the expression of stress remedial response genes. However, very little is known about the signals that activate eIF2 alpha kinases in protozoan parasites. Here, we characterized an eIF2 alpha kinase of Trypanosoma cruzi (TcK2), the agent of Chagas' disease, as a transmembrane protein located in organelles that accumulate nutrients in proliferating parasite forms. We found that heme binds specifically to the catalytic domain of the kinase, inhibiting its activity. in the absence of heme, TcK2 is activated, arresting cell growth and inducing differentiation of proliferative into infective and non-proliferative forms. Parasites lacking TcK2 lose this differentiation capacity and heme is not stored in reserve organelles, remaining in the cytosol. TcK2 null cells display growth deficiencies, accumulating hydrogen peroxide that drives the generation of reactive oxygen species. the augmented level of hydrogen peroxide occurs as a consequence of increased superoxide dismutase activity and decreased peroxide activity. These phenotypes could be reverted by the re-expression of the wild type but not of a TcK2 dead mutant. These findings indicate that heme is a key factor for the growth control and differentiation through regulation of an unusual type of eIF2 alpha kinase in T. cruzi.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilNYU, Sch Med, Dept Pathol, New York, NY USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 2011/51973-3FAPESP: 2009/54364-8FAPESP: 2012/09403-8FAPESP: 2011/50586-6FAPESP: 2003/12722-9FAPESP: 2012/50399-4FAPESP: 2009/52047-5CNPq: 477143/2011-3CNPq: 304359/2009-2Web of Scienc