Simulating land use changes, sediment yields, and pesticide use in the Upper Paraguay River Basin: Implications for conservation of the Pantanal wetland

As a consequence of accelerated and excessive use of pesticides in tropical regions, wilderness areas are under threat; this includes the Pantanal wetlands in the Upper Paraguay River Basin (UPRB). Using a Land Cover Land Use Change (LCLUC) modelling approach, we estimated the expected pesticide load in the Pantanal and the surrounding highlands region for 2050 under three potential scenarios: i) business as usual (BAU), ii) acceleration of anthropogenic changes (ACC), and iii) use of buffer zones around protected areas (BPA). The quantity of pesticides used in the UPRB is predicted to vary depending on the scenario, from an overall increase by as much as 7.4% in the UPRB in the BAU scenario (increasing by 38.5% in the floodplain and 6.6% in the highlands), to an increase of 11.2% in the UPRB (over current use) under the AAC scenario (increasing by 53.8% in the floodplain and 7.5% in the highlands). Much higher usage of pesticides is predicted in sub-basins with greater agricultural areas within major hydrographic basins. Changing the current trajectory of land management in the UPRB is a complex challenge. It will require a substantial shift from current practices, and will involve the implementation of a number of strategies, ranging from the development of new technologies to achieve changes in land use policies, to increasing dialogue between farmers, ranchers, the scientific community, and local or traditional communities through participatory learning processes and outreach

Políticas e práticas de gestão de pessoas e intenção de rotatividade: um estudo com servidores técnico-administrativos em educação do Instituto Federal do Pará na cidade de Belém

The present dissertation analyzed the relationship between Human Resource Management (HRM) Policies and Turnover Intention of the Technical-Administrative Servants in Education from Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Pará (IFPA), in exercise in the city of Belém/PA. In this sense, the present research emphasizes the thematic of the retention of public servants, the actors responsible for the materialization of the public policies and attendance of the social demands. In this way, a field research was carried out, through a survey, in which psychometric scales were used to evaluate the perception of the servants in relation to HRM policies and their turnover intentions, characterizing a quantitative study, with the application of descriptive statistical and multiple linear regression techniques. The descriptive results allowed us to observe that the servants do not perceive IFPA's HRM policies and, largely, have medium/high turnover intentions. Through the regression analysis, the hypothesis drawn in this study was partially confirmed, since only the engagement policy was identified as a predictor of the turnover intention in the sample investigated. Finally, a series of recommendations were made in order to contribute to the development and strengthening of HRM within IFPAA presente dissertação tem como objetivo analisar a relação entre a percepção das Políticas e Práticas de Gestão de Pessoas (GP) e a Intenção de Rotatividade dos servidores Técnico-Administrativos em Educação do Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Pará (IFPA), em exercício na cidade de Belém/PA. Nesse sentido, a presente pesquisa enfatiza a temática da retenção de servidores públicos, os atores responsáveis pela materialização das políticas públicas e atendimento das demandas sociais. Desse modo, foi realizada uma pesquisa de campo, por meio de um levantamento, no qual foram utilizadas escalas psicométricas para avaliar a percepção dos servidores em relação às políticas e práticas de GP e sua intenção de rotatividade, caracterizando um estudo de natureza quantitativa, com a aplicação de técnicas de estatística descritiva e regressão linear múltipla. Os resultados descritivos permitiram observar que os servidores pouco percebem as políticas e práticas de GP do IFPA e, em grande parte, possuem média/alta intenção de rotatividade. Por meio da análise de regressão, a hipótese traçada neste estudo foi parcialmente confirmada, eis que somente a política de envolvimento foi identificada como preditora da intenção de rotatividade na amostra investigada. Por fim, foram realizadas uma série de recomendações, a fim de contribuir para o desenvolvimento e fortalecimento da GP no âmbito do IFPATribunal Regional do Trabalho da 8ª Regiã

Coffee Leaf Rust Resistance: An Overview

Coffee is one of the most important cash crops and beverages. Several diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, and viruses can affect coffee plantations and compromise production. Coffee leaf rust (CLR), caused by the biotrophic fungus Hemileia vastatrix is the top fungal disease, representing a permanent threat to sustainable Arabica coffee production for more than a century. This review provides a comprehensive survey of the most common coffee diseases, their importance, and geographic distribution, with an emphasis on coffee leaf rust. Summing up the progress obtained so far from different research fields on the coffee–H. vastatrix interaction, we revisited the pathogen genetic diversity and population dynamics, and the complex mechanisms underlying plant resistance/immunity. We also highlight how new advanced technologies can provide avenues for a deeper understanding of this pathosystem, which is crucial for devising more reliable and long-term strategies for disease control.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Dinâmica de distribuição de fontes de capitais científicos entre docentes / pesquisadores de um programa de pós- graduação Stricto- Sensu de uma universidade pública Dynamics of distribution of sources of scientific capital among teachers / researchers of a Master's and Doctorate's degree program of a public university

Situando- se no contexto das universidades e, mais especificamente, da pós- graduação, o presente estudo visa analisar, de forma exploratória, a dinâmica de distribuição de capitais científicos entre docentes de um programa de pós- graduação Stricto Sensu de uma universidade pública. De forma específica, como os docentes distribuem suas atividades entre aquelas que lhes permitem acumular capital científico puro (como as publicações e contribuições acadêmicas para o campo do conhecimento) e capital científico institucional (como a ocupação de cargos que lhes conferem o poder de decisão dentro do campo da ciência). Foi considerada a abordagem de Bourdieu (2003; 2004a; 2004b) relativamente ao campo científico, por esta permitir a apreensão dessa dinâmica de distribuição de capitais, que são tipos específicos de poder. A abordagem foi quantitativa e qualitativa, utilizando pesquisa documental nos currículos Lattes de vinte e três docentes participantes do referido programa, que se situa em uma cidade de Minas Gerais (Brasil), sendo da área de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas. Como principais resultados, a dinâmica demonstra (1) que os docentes ocupam, em sua maioria, posições medianas dentro da distribuição de capitais; (2) há a dificuldade de acumulação expressiva de ambos os tipos de capitais por parte de um pesquisador; (3) não houve uma polarização entre os docentes baseada em forte acumulação de um dos capitais, e fraca acumulação de outro; e (4) há maior facilidade de conversão de capital institucional em capital científico puro.<br>In the context of universities and more specifically, of graduate school, this study aims to analyze, in an exploratory way, the dynamics of scientific capital distribution among teachers of a Master's and Doctorate's degree program at a public university. Specifically, how teachers are distributed among those activities that allow them to accumulate pure scientific capital (such as publications and academic contributions to the field of knowledge) and institutional scientific capital (as occupying the positions that give them the power of decision within the field of science). Bourdieu's approach (2003, 2004a; 2004b) about the scientific field was considered, because it allows us to apprehend the dynamics of capital distribution, which represents specific types of power. The approach was quantitative and qualitative, using documentary research in the curriculum Lattes of twenty- three teachers participating of the program, which is located in a city in Minas Gerais (Brazil) and belongs to the area of Applied Social Sciences. As main results, the dynamics demonstrates (1) that mostly teachers occupy median positions within the distribution of capital, (2) it's difficult to accumulate both types of capital, (3) there isn't a polarization among teachers that have a strong accumulation of one kind of capital, and weak accumulation of the other capital, and (4) it's easier to convert institutional capital into pure scientific capital

Resumos em andamento - Bioquímica

Resumos em andamento - Bioquímic

Unraveling the genetic background of individuals with a clinical familial hypercholesterolemia phenotype

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a common genetic disorder of lipid metabolism caused by pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in LDLR, APOB, and PCSK9 genes. Variants in FH-phenocopy genes (LDLRAP1, APOE, LIPA, ABCG5, and ABCG8), polygenic hypercholesterolemia, and hyperlipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] can also mimic a clinical FH phenotype. We aim to present a new diagnostic tool to unravel the genetic background of clinical FH phenotype. Biochemical and genetic study was performed in 1,005 individuals with clinical diagnosis of FH, referred to the Portuguese FH Study. A next-generation sequencing panel, covering eight genes and eight SNPs to determine LDL-C polygenic risk score and LPA genetic score, was validated, and used in this study. FH was genetically confirmed in 417 index cases: 408 heterozygotes and 9 homozygotes. Cascade screening increased the identification to 1,000 FH individuals, including 11 homozygotes. FH-negative individuals (phenotype positive and genotype negative) have Lp(a) >50 mg/dl (30%), high polygenic risk score (16%), other monogenic lipid metabolism disorders (1%), and heterozygous pathogenic variants in FH-phenocopy genes (2%). Heterozygous variants of uncertain significance were identified in primary genes (12%) and phenocopy genes (7%). Overall, 42% of our cohort was genetically confirmed with FH. In the remaining individuals, other causes for high LDL-C were identified in 68%. Hyper-Lp(a) or polygenic hypercholesterolemia may be the cause of the clinical FH phenotype in almost half of FH-negative individuals. A small part has pathogenic variants in ABCG5/ABCG8 in heterozygosity that can cause hypercholesterolemia and should be further investigated. This extended next-generation sequencing panel identifies individuals with FH and FH-phenocopies, allowing to personalize each person’s treatment according to the affected pathway

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved