Instalação de um sistema geotérmico de grande dimensão na Quinta da Ombria

No decorrer deste trabalho é efetuada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre os vários tipos de sistemas de energia geotérmica para climatização e produção de AQS, dos respetivos equipamentos e componentes. É também efetuada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre a legislação nacional e nos países de União Europeia, mais relevantes. É feito um enquadramento da geotermia superficial para climatização, na Europa e em Portugal, através da descrição de casos exemplo e é feita uma análise dos entraves e barreiras à implementação deste tipo de soluções. O caso de estudo é apresentado através da descrição e caracterização da instalação, com explicação pormenorizada de todos os equipamentos e componentes dos sistemas, incluindo o sistema de controlo e gestão e todo o seu funcionamento. É elaborada uma análise à operação do sistema e uma análise comparativa relativamente a sistemas mais tradicionais, nomeadamente a aerotérmica. É ainda efetuada uma descrição do trabalho realizado pelo estudante na implementação da instalação no local do caso de estudo. Esta empreitada compreende a execução dos quatro campos geotérmicos, tubagem horizontal em vala até áreas técnicas, tubagem do sistema geotérmico no interior das áreas técnicas com picagens e tamponamentos necessários às futuras ligações hidráulicas e bombas de circulação dos sistemas geotérmicos e respetivos acessórios. Com isto, é concluído que a aposta num tipo de sistema que utilize a energia geotérmica como fonte de energia é uma aposta ganha, não tendo tido ainda a visibilidade certaIn the work, a bibliographical review will be carried out on the various types of geothermal energy systems for air conditioning and DHW production, their equipment and components. A literature review will be carried out on national legislation and in the most relevant countries of the European Union. A framework of surface geothermal for climatization will be made, in Europe and Portugal, through the description of example cases and an analysis of the obstacles and barriers to the implementation of this type of solution. The case study will be presented with the description and characterization of the installation, with a detailed explanation of all equipment and system components, including the control system, and its operation will be explained. An analysis of the system operation and a comparative analysis will be carried out in relation to more traditional systems, namely aerothermal. Will also be made a description of the work carried out by the student in the implementation of the installation at the place of the case study. This contract includes the execution of four geothermal fields, horizontal piping in trenches to technical areas, piping of the geothermal system within the technical areas with chipping and buffering necessary for future hydraulic connections and circulation pumps of the geothermal systems and respective accessories. With this, it is concluded that the bet on a type of system that uses geothermal energy as an energy source is a winning bet, having not yet had the right visibility

Divergência genética entre tipos especiais de arroz a partir de técnicas multivariadas

The brazilian rice market prioritizes the consumption of polished white rice. However, there are demands for special types. The estimation of genetic divergence is important for genetic improvement, as it allows the selection of parents in controlled crossbreeding systems. Thus, the objectives of this work were to indicate the relative contribution of the evaluated traits to the genetic dissimilarity and to evaluate the genetic divergence among genotypes of special types of rice by two different methods of grouping. The experiment was carried out from October 2012 to March 2013, at the UFRRJ, Seropédica, RJ. The design used was in randomized blocks, with five replications. The treatments consisted of the genotypes Caiapó, Vermelho Pequeno, IAC 300, IAC 400 and IAC 500. The measure of dissimilarity adopted was the Euclidean distance. Two different optimization methods were used: the Tocher optimization method and the UPGMA (Unweighted Pair-Group Method using Arithmetic Averages) hierarchical method. The genotypes Caiapó and Vermelho Pequeno were in different heterotic groups in relation to the genotypes IAC 300 and IAC 400, using the clustering method used. It was found that the yield trait was the one that most influenced the total variation.O mercado brasileiro de arroz prioriza o consumo de arroz branco polido. Entretanto, existem demandas por tipos especiais. A estimativa da divergência genética é importante para o melhoramento genético, pois permite a seleção de genitores em sistemas de cruzamentos controlados. Assim, os objetivos deste trabalho foram indicar a contribuição relativa dos caracteres avaliados para a dissimilaridade genética e avaliar a divergência genética entre genótipos de tipos especiais de arroz por dois métodos diferentes de agrupamento. O experimento foi conduzido no ano de outubro de 2012 a março de 2013, na UFRRJ, Seropédica, RJ. O delineamento utilizado foi em blocos ao acaso, com cinco repetições. Os tratamentos constaram dos genótipos Caiapó, Vermelho Pequeno, IAC 300, IAC 400 e IAC 500. A medida de dissimilaridade adotada foi a distância euclidiana. Foram utilizados dois métodos diferentes de otimização: o método de otimização de Tocher e o método hierárquico UPGMA (Unweighted Pair-Group Method using Arithmetic Avarages). Os genótipos Caiapó e Vermelho Pequeno estiveram em diferentes grupos heteróticos em relação aos genótipos IAC 300 e IAC 400, independentemente do método de agrupamento utilizado. Verificou-se que a característica produtividade foi a que mais influenciou na variação total

The stress granule protein G3BP1 alleviates spinocerebellar ataxia-associated deficits

Koppenol et al. show that overexpression of G3BP1 in cell models of SCA2 and SCA3 leads to a reduction in ataxin-2 and ataxin-3 aggregation. G3BP1 lentiviral delivery reduces motor deficits and neuropathology in preclinical models, suggesting that G3BP1 may be a potential therapeutic target for polyQ disorders. Polyglutamine diseases are a group of neurodegenerative disorders caused by an abnormal expansion of CAG repeat tracts in the codifying regions of nine, otherwise unrelated, genes. While the protein products of these genes are suggested to play diverse cellular roles, the pathogenic mutant proteins bearing an expanded polyglutamine sequence share a tendency to self-assemble, aggregate and engage in abnormal molecular interactions. Understanding the shared paths that link polyglutamine protein expansion to the nervous system dysfunction and the degeneration that takes place in these disorders is instrumental to the identification of targets for therapeutic intervention. Among polyglutamine diseases, spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) share many common aspects, including the fact that they involve dysfunction of the cerebellum, resulting in ataxia. Our work aimed at exploring a putative new therapeutic target for the two forms of SCA with higher worldwide prevalence, SCA type 2 (SCA2) and type 3 (SCA3), which are caused by expanded forms of ataxin-2 (ATXN2) and ataxin-3 (ATXN3), respectively. The pathophysiology of polyglutamine diseases has been described to involve an inability to properly respond to cell stress. We evaluated the ability of GTPase-activating protein-binding protein 1 (G3BP1), an RNA-binding protein involved in RNA metabolism regulation and stress responses, to counteract SCA2 and SCA3 pathology, using both in vitro and in vivo disease models. Our results indicate that G3BP1 overexpression in cell models leads to a reduction of ATXN2 and ATXN3 aggregation, associated with a decrease in protein expression. This protective effect of G3BP1 against polyglutamine protein aggregation was reinforced by the fact that silencing G3bp1 in the mouse brain increases human expanded ATXN2 and ATXN3 aggregation. Moreover, a decrease of G3BP1 levels was detected in cells derived from patients with SCA2 and SCA3, suggesting that G3BP1 function is compromised in the context of these diseases. In lentiviral mouse models of SCA2 and SCA3, G3BP1 overexpression not only decreased protein aggregation but also contributed to the preservation of neuronal cells. Finally, in an SCA3 transgenic mouse model with a severe ataxic phenotype, G3BP1 lentiviral delivery to the cerebellum led to amelioration of several motor behavioural deficits. Overall, our results indicate that a decrease in G3BP1 levels may be a contributing factor to SCA2 and SCA3 pathophysiology, and that administration of this protein through viral vector-mediated delivery may constitute a putative approach to therapy for these diseases, and possibly other polyglutamine disorders.PPBI-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022122info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of Gender, Sterilization, and Environment on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs: An Intervention Study in an Urban Setting.

Information concerning the factors affecting the circulation and distribution of free-roaming dogs is crucial in developing control actions and limiting the spread of zoonoses. The present study analyzes the influence of gender, sterilization, and environment on the spatial distribution of free-roaming dogs in urban settings. Animals were captured/recaptured in seven consecutive morning sampling efforts conducted at 2-monthly intervals in control and intervention areas in a medium-size town in southeastern Brazil. Capture locations were georeferenced and captured animals were microchipped before being released at their original capture sites. Dogs captured in the intervention area were subjected additionally to surgical sterilization prior to release. Home range (HR) areas were calculated by applying the minimum convex polygon method to dogs that had been captured at least three times. Land coverage zones were determined from satellite images and overlaid on maps of the study areas along with the locations of 22 commercial food outlets. HR areas showed a global mean of 448 m2 and a median of 28 m2, values that were smaller than those reported previously for dogs in rural regions. The median HR of females (64.m2) was higher than that of males (15 m2), while median HRs of animals in the control and intervention areas were similar (27 and 28.5 m2, respectively). Variability of HR was high, although animals with small HRs predominated. Free-roaming dogs grouped primarily in urbanized and transitional regions, and their spatial distribution was positively correlated with locations of commercial food outlets. While sterilization did not influence HR size, the search for food was a key factor in determining mobility and spatial aggregation of free-roaming dogs. Our findings are pertinent in understanding the ecology of free-roaming dogs in urban environments and will be applicable to strategies aimed at promoting animal welfare and preventing the dissemination of zoonoses

ATLANTIC ‐ PRIMATES : a dataset of communities and occurrences of primates in the Atlantic Forests of South America

Primates play an important role in ecosystem functioning and offer critical insights into human evolution, biology, behavior, and emerging infectious diseases. There are 26 primate species in the Atlantic Forests of South America, 19 of them endemic. We compiled a dataset of 5,472 georeferenced locations of 26 native and 1 introduced primate species, as hybrids in the genera Callithrix and Alouatta. The dataset includes 700 primate communities, 8,121 single species occurrences and 714 estimates of primate population sizes, covering most natural forest types of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina and some other biomes. On average, primate communities of the Atlantic Forest harbor 2 ± 1 species (range = 1–6). However, about 40% of primate communities contain only one species. Alouatta guariba (N = 2,188 records) and Sapajus nigritus (N = 1,127) were the species with the most records. Callicebus barbarabrownae (N = 35), Leontopithecus caissara (N = 38), and Sapajus libidinosus (N = 41) were the species with the least records. Recorded primate densities varied from 0.004 individuals/km2 (Alouatta guariba at Fragmento do Bugre, Paraná, Brazil) to 400 individuals/km2 (Alouatta caraya in Santiago, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Our dataset reflects disparity between the numerous primate census conducted in the Atlantic Forest, in contrast to the scarcity of estimates of population sizes and densities. With these data, researchers can develop different macroecological and regional level studies, focusing on communities, populations, species co‐occurrence and distribution patterns. Moreover, the data can also be used to assess the consequences of fragmentation, defaunation, and disease outbreaks on different ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, species invasion or extinction, and community dynamics. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this Data Paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data.Fil: Culot, Laurence. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Pereira, Lucas Augusto. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Agostini, Ilaria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical; Argentina. Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico; ArgentinaFil: de Almeida, Marco Antônio Barreto. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Alves, Rafael Souza Cruz. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Baldovino, María Celia. Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Di Bitetti, Mario Santiago. Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; ArgentinaFil: Oklander, Luciana Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; ArgentinaFil: Holzmann, Ingrid. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; ArgentinaFil: Dums, Marcos. RUMO S.A. Licenciamento Ambiental; BrasilFil: Lombardi, Pryscilla Moura. RUMO S.A. Licenciamento Ambiental; BrasilFil: Bonikowski, Renata Twardowsky Ramalho. RUMO S.A. Licenciamento Ambiental; BrasilFil: Age, Stéfani Gabrieli. RUMO S.A. Licenciamento Ambiental; BrasilFil: Souza Alves, João Pedro. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Chagas, Renata. Universidade Federal da Paraíba; BrasilFil: da Cunha, Rogério Grassetto Teixeira. Universidade Federal de Alfenas; BrasilFil: Valença Montenegro, Monica Mafra. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservaçao de Primates Brasileiros; BrasilFil: Ludwig, Gabriela. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservaçao de Primates Brasileiros; BrasilFil: Jerusalinsky, Leandro. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservaçao de Primates Brasileiros; BrasilFil: Buss, Gerson. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservaçao de Primates Brasileiros; BrasilFil: de Azevedo, Renata Bocorny. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservaçao de Primates Brasileiros; BrasilFil: Filho, Roberio Freire. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Bufalo, Felipe. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Milhe, Louis. Université D'Avignon et des Pays du Vaucluse; FranciaFil: Santos, Mayara Mulato dos. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Sepulvida, Raíssa. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Ferraz, Daniel da Silva. Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Faria, Michel Barros. Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Ribeiro, Milton Cezar. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Galetti, Mauro. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasi

SARS-CoV-2 uses CD4 to infect T helper lymphocytes

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the agent of a major global outbreak of respiratory tract disease known as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 infects mainly lungs and may cause several immune-related complications, such as lymphocytopenia and cytokine storm, which are associated with the severity of the disease and predict mortality. The mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 infection may result in immune system dysfunction is still not fully understood. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 infects human CD4+ T helper cells, but not CD8+ T cells, and is present in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage T helper cells of severe COVID-19 patients. We demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S) directly binds to the CD4 molecule, which in turn mediates the entry of SARS-CoV-2 in T helper cells. This leads to impaired CD4 T cell function and may cause cell death. SARS-CoV-2-infected T helper cells express higher levels of IL-10, which is associated with viral persistence and disease severity. Thus, CD4-mediated SARS-CoV-2 infection of T helper cells may contribute to a poor immune response in COVID-19 patients.</p

SARS-CoV-2 uses CD4 to infect T helper lymphocytes

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the agent of a major global outbreak of respiratory tract disease known as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 infects mainly lungs and may cause several immune-related complications, such as lymphocytopenia and cytokine storm, which are associated with the severity of the disease and predict mortality. The mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 infection may result in immune system dysfunction is still not fully understood. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 infects human CD4+ T helper cells, but not CD8+ T cells, and is present in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage T helper cells of severe COVID-19 patients. We demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S) directly binds to the CD4 molecule, which in turn mediates the entry of SARS-CoV-2 in T helper cells. This leads to impaired CD4 T cell function and may cause cell death. SARS-CoV-2-infected T helper cells express higher levels of IL-10, which is associated with viral persistence and disease severity. Thus, CD4-mediated SARS-CoV-2 infection of T helper cells may contribute to a poor immune response in COVID-19 patients.</p

ATLANTIC-PRIMATES: a dataset of communities and occurrences of primates in the Atlantic Forests of South America

Primates play an important role in ecosystem functioning and offer critical insights into human evolution, biology, behavior, and emerging infectious diseases. There are 26 primate species in the Atlantic Forests of South America, 19 of them endemic. We compiled a dataset of 5,472 georeferenced locations of 26 native and 1 introduced primate species, as hybrids in the genera Callithrix and Alouatta. The dataset includes 700 primate communities, 8,121 single species occurrences and 714 estimates of primate population sizes, covering most natural forest types of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina and some other biomes. On average, primate communities of the Atlantic Forest harbor 2 ± 1 species (range = 1–6). However, about 40% of primate communities contain only one species. Alouatta guariba (N = 2,188 records) and Sapajus nigritus (N = 1,127) were the species with the most records. Callicebus barbarabrownae (N = 35), Leontopithecus caissara (N = 38), and Sapajus libidinosus (N = 41) were the species with the least records. Recorded primate densities varied from 0.004 individuals/km 2 (Alouatta guariba at Fragmento do Bugre, Paraná, Brazil) to 400 individuals/km 2 (Alouatta caraya in Santiago, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Our dataset reflects disparity between the numerous primate census conducted in the Atlantic Forest, in contrast to the scarcity of estimates of population sizes and densities. With these data, researchers can develop different macroecological and regional level studies, focusing on communities, populations, species co-occurrence and distribution patterns. Moreover, the data can also be used to assess the consequences of fragmentation, defaunation, and disease outbreaks on different ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, species invasion or extinction, and community dynamics. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this Data Paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data. © 2018 by the The Authors. Ecology © 2018 The Ecological Society of Americ