PERCEPÇÃO PÚBLICA E CARACTERIZAÇÃO DOS RESÍDUOS SÓLIDOS COMO INSTRUMENTO DE APOIO PARA GESTÃO COSTEIRA – ESTUDO DE CASO EM MARTIN DE SÁ, CARAGUATATUBA, SP.

Devido à variedade de fontes, dinâmicas costeiras e dos diversos agentes envolvidos, a gestão dos resíduos sólidos em áreas costeiras se torna bastante complexa e particular. Uma forma de analisar esses cenários é estudá-los de maneira mais específica por meio de diagnósticos locais. Tais diagnósticos, por serem localizados, apresentam grande potencial como ferramentas auxiliares ao planejamento de políticas públicas e ações locais. Sendo assim, este estudo propõe uma metodologia diagnóstica baseada no levantamento de resíduos sólidos antropogênicos e na percepção pública sobre o lixo praial na Praia de Martim de Sá, Caraguatatuba-SP. Identificou-se que a distribuição dos resíduos é heterogênea, com maior acúmulo na região norte da praia. Aproximadamente 13.600 itens em 7 diferentes categorias foram coletados, a bituca de cigarro foi o resíduo mais abundante representando 44% da amostra.  As demandas prioritárias da população são por ações educativas e estruturas coletoras. O uso da metodologia diagnóstica parece ter identificado características de produção e descarte de resíduos que não são consideradas pelo atual plano de gerenciamento, além disso, a identificação de potenciais pontos de ação permite o uso dessa ferramenta como forma de apoio a ações futuras de gestão.

Congruence of local ecological knowledge (LEK)-based methods and line-transect surveys in estimating wildlife abundance in tropical forests

Effective estimation of wildlife population abundance is an important component of population monitoring, and ultimately essential for the development of conservation actions. Diurnal line-transect surveys are one of the most applied methods for abundance estimations. Local ecological knowledge (LEK) is empirically acquired through the observation of ecological processes by local people. LEK-based methods have only been recognized as valid scientific methods for surveying fauna abundance in the last three decades. However, the agreement between both methods has not been extensively analysed. We compared concomitant abundance data for 91 wild species (mammals, birds and tortoises) from diurnal line transects (9,221 km of trails) and a LEK-based method (291 structured interviews) at 18 sites in Central and Western Amazonia. We used biological and socioecological factors to assess the agreements and divergences between abundance indices obtained from both methods. We found a significant agreement of population abundance indices for diurnal and game species. This relationship was also positive regardless of species sociality (solitary or social), body size and locomotion mode (terrestrial and arboreal); and of sampled forest type (upland and flooded forests). Conversely, we did not find significant abundance covariances for nocturnal and non-game species. Despite the general agreement between methods, line transects were not effective at surveying many species occurring in the area, with 40.2% and 39.8% of all species being rarely and never detected in at least one of the survey sites. On the other hand, these species were widely reported by local informants to occur at intermediate to high abundances. Although LEK-based methods have been long neglected by ecologists, our comparative study demonstrated their effectiveness for estimating vertebrate abundance of a wide diversity of taxa and forest environments. This can be used simultaneously with line-transect surveys to calibrate abundance estimates and record species that are rarely sighted during surveys on foot, but that are often observed by local people during their daily extractive activities. Thus, the combination of local and scientific knowledge is a potential tool to improve our knowledge of tropical forest species and foster the development of effective strategies to meet biodiversity conservation goals

Predicting animal abundance through local ecological knowledge: An internal validation using consensus analysis

Given the ongoing environmental degradation from local to global scales, it is fundamental to develop more efficient means of gathering data on species and ecosystems. Local ecological knowledge, in which local communities can consistently provide information on the status of animal species over time, has been shown to be effective. Several studies demonstrate that data gathered using local ecological knowledge (LEK)-based methods are comparable with data obtained from conventional methods (such as line transects and camera traps). Here, we employ a consensus analysis to validate and evaluate the accuracy of interview data on LEK. Additionally, we investigate the influence of social and bioecological variables on enhancing data quality. We interviewed 323 persons in 19 villages in the Western and Central Amazon to determine the level of consensus on the abundance of hunted and non-hunted forest species. These villages varied in size, socio-economic characteristics and in the experience with wildlife of their dwellers. Interviewees estimated the relative abundance of 101 species with a broad spectrum of bioecological characteristics using a four-point Likert scale. High consensus was found for species population abundance in all sampled villages and for 79.6% of interviewees. The village consensus of all species abundance pooled was negatively correlated with village population size. The consensus level was high regardless of the interviewees' hunting experience. Species that are more frequently hunted or are more apparent had greater consensus values; only two species presented a low consensus level, which are rare and solitary species. We show in our study in the Amazon that information gathered by local peoples, Indigenous as well as non-Indigenous, can be useful in understanding the status of animal species found within their environment. The high level of cultural consensus we describe likely arises from knowledge sharing and the strong connection between the persons interviewed and the forest. We suggest that consensus analysis can be used to validate LEK-generated data instead of comparing these types of data with information obtained by conventional methods

Predicting animal abundance through local ecological knowledge: An internal validation using consensus analysis

Given the ongoing environmental degradation from local to global scales, it is fundamental to develop more efficient means of gathering data on species and ecosystems. Local ecological knowledge, in which local communities can consistently provide information on the status of animal species over time, has been shown to be effective. Several studies demonstrate that data gathered using local ecological knowledge (LEK)‐based methods are comparable with data obtained from conventional methods (such as line transects and camera traps). Here, we employ a consensus analysis to validate and evaluate the accuracy of interview data on LEK. Additionally, we investigate the influence of social and bioecological variables on enhancing data quality. We interviewed 323 persons in 19 villages in the Western and Central Amazon to determine the level of consensus on the abundance of hunted and non‐hunted forest species. These villages varied in size, socio‐economic characteristics and in the experience with wildlife of their dwellers. Interviewees estimated the relative abundance of 101 species with a broad spectrum of bioecological characteristics using a four‐point Likert scale. High consensus was found for species population abundance in all sampled villages and for 79.6% of interviewees. The village consensus of all species abundance pooled was negatively correlated with village population size. The consensus level was high regardless of the interviewees' hunting experience. Species that are more frequently hunted or are more apparent had greater consensus values; only two species presented a low consensus level, which are rare and solitary species. We show in our study in the Amazon that information gathered by local peoples, Indigenous as well as non‐Indigenous, can be useful in understanding the status of animal species found within their environment. The high level of cultural consensus we describe likely arises from knowledge sharing and the strong connection between the persons interviewed and the forest. We suggest that consensus analysis can be used to validate LEK‐generated data instead of comparing these types of data with information obtained by conventional methods. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog

<i>In vitro</i> antiviral activity of the anti-HCV drugs daclatasvir and sofosbuvir against SARS-CoV-2, the aetiological agent of COVID-19

BackgroundCurrent approaches of drug repurposing against COVID-19 have not proven overwhelmingly successful and the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to cause major global mortality. SARS-CoV-2 nsp12, its RNA polymerase, shares homology in the nucleotide uptake channel with the HCV orthologue enzyme NS5B. Besides, HCV enzyme NS5A has pleiotropic activities, such as RNA binding, that are shared with various SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Thus, anti-HCV NS5B and NS5A inhibitors, like sofosbuvir and daclatasvir, respectively, could be endowed with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity.MethodsSARS-CoV-2-infected Vero cells, HuH-7 cells, Calu-3 cells, neural stem cells and monocytes were used to investigate the effects of daclatasvir and sofosbuvir. In silico and cell-free based assays were performed with SARS-CoV-2 RNA and nsp12 to better comprehend the mechanism of inhibition of the investigated compounds. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model was generated to estimate daclatasvir's dose and schedule to maximize the probability of success for COVID-19.ResultsDaclatasvir inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in Vero, HuH-7 and Calu-3 cells, with potencies of 0.8, 0.6 and 1.1 μM, respectively. Although less potent than daclatasvir, sofosbuvir alone and combined with daclatasvir inhibited replication in Calu-3 cells. Sofosbuvir and daclatasvir prevented virus-induced neuronal apoptosis and release of cytokine storm-related inflammatory mediators, respectively. Sofosbuvir inhibited RNA synthesis by chain termination and daclatasvir targeted the folding of secondary RNA structures in the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Concentrations required for partial daclatasvir in vitro activity are achieved in plasma at Cmax after administration of the approved dose to humans.ConclusionsDaclatasvir, alone or in combination with sofosbuvir, at higher doses than used against HCV, may be further fostered as an anti-COVID-19 therapy

PERCEPÇÃO PÚBLICA E CARACTERIZAÇÃO DOS RESÍDUOS SÓLIDOS COMO INSTRUMENTO DE APOIO PARA GESTÃO COSTEIRA – ESTUDO DE CASO EM MARTIN DE SÁ, CARAGUATATUBA, SP.

Devido à variedade de fontes, dinâmicas costeiras e dos diversos agentes envolvidos, a gestão dos resíduos sólidos em áreas costeiras se torna bastante complexa e particular. Uma forma de analisar esses cenários é estudá-los de maneira mais específica por meio de diagnósticos locais. Tais diagnósticos, por serem localizados, apresentam grande potencial como ferramentas auxiliares ao planejamento de políticas públicas e ações locais. Sendo assim, este estudo propõe uma metodologia diagnóstica baseada no levantamento de resíduos sólidos antropogênicos e na percepção pública sobre o lixo praial na Praia de Martim de Sá, Caraguatatuba-SP. Identificou-se que a distribuição dos resíduos é heterogênea, com maior acúmulo na região norte da praia. Aproximadamente 13.600 itens em 7 diferentes categorias foram coletados, a bituca de cigarro foi o resíduo mais abundante representando 44% da amostra.  As demandas prioritárias da população são por ações educativas e estruturas coletoras. O uso da metodologia diagnóstica parece ter identificado características de produção e descarte de resíduos que não são consideradas pelo atual plano de gerenciamento, além disso, a identificação de potenciais pontos de ação permite o uso dessa ferramenta como forma de apoio a ações futuras de gestão.

Biotransformation of the Diterpene Ent

The diterpene ent-18,19-dihydroxytrachylobane was biotransformed for the first time by Rhizopus stolonifer, and yielded the new ent-11&#946;,18,19-trihydroxytrachylobane derivative besides the new ent-kaur-11-ene diterpenes ent-16&#945;,18,19-trihydroxykaur-11-ene and ent-18,19-dihydroxy-16&#945;-methoxykaur-11-ene. Their structures were determined by spectrometric methods

Towards a Blockchain-Based Secure Electronic Medical Record for Healthcare Applications

Electronic medical records (EMRs) are highly sensitive information shared among peers to keep up-to-date patient history. Providing security, privacy, and availability to these sensitive data is a challenge because, typically, after data publication the patient loses control over them. In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based approach to secure EMR for healthcare applications, where access control is patient-centric. Our proposal keeps encrypted EMRs in the blockchain, and the patient shares the decryption key only with healthcare professionals in which he/she trusts. Blockchain allows untrusted node, in a distributed peer-to-peer network to correctly and verifiably interact with each other, without any reliable intermediary. We investigate the scalability of our approach through simulations. Results show that it scales well since increasing the number of nodes in the network implies a linear increase in the size of the stored chain. Results also reveal that the time for inserting a new EMR in the blockchain remains low even when the number of nodes in the network increases