Using life cycle assessment to achieve a circular economy

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment - The current global interest in circular economy (CE) opens an opportunity to make society’s consumption and production patterns more...     

Streptomyces brasiliscabiei,a new species causing potato scab in south Brazil

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek - This study aimed to characterize six Streptomyces strains associated with potato scab in south Brazil through polyphasic taxonomy involving morphology, pathogenicity and...     

Habitat and host associations of the fish‐burrowing parasite Artystone minima (Cymothoidae: Isopoda) in eastern Amazonia

Cymothoid fish parasites settle on hosts in ways that may impact fish health and energetics. High abundances of Artystone minima observed in Nannostomus beckfordi from the Jeju River in eastern Amazonia were investigated to answer the following questions: (a) What factors are associated with the high prevalence at this locality?; (b) Is high abundance associated with co‐infestation of alternative hosts?; and (c) Is parasite presence associated with host species growth and/or reproduction? Fish assemblages were sampled quarterly (August 2017–May 2018) from five habitats along with environmental data. Parasitic indices were calculated, and parasite presence used to evaluate differences in growth of hosts using analysis of covariance considering host sex and sampling season (wet vs. dry). Parasites were only abundant in one of the habitats, a large, shallow backwater bay with macrophytes. Abiotic environmental factors (flow and depth) likely impact parasite transmission and are, therefore, particularly important in producing these local patterns. Two secondary hosts, Hyphessobrycon cf. rosaceus and Moenkhausia collettii, were found in the wet season. Based on host biology compared to other fish in the habitat, parasite infestation is inferred to be depth associated and long‐term infestation is apparently limited in alternative hosts. Parasite presence was significantly associated with reduced weight (standardized for length) of female Nannostomus beckfordi in the wet season. Furthermore, ovaries of non‐parasitized females from the wet season presented a range of maturation stages, while parasitized females were all immature, indicating a significant association of parasites with host reproductive capacity. Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material     

Developing of a model to predict lying behavior of dairy cows on silvopastoral system during the winter season

International Journal of Biometeorology - Lying behavior is an important indicator of the cows’ welfare and health. In this study, we evaluate the effect of the physical environment on dairy...     

Spatial cognitive abilities of a tide-pool fish show resilience to noise pollution

Journal of Ethology - Noise pollution may impair the cognitive performances of several animal species, producing suboptimal behavioral responses. Involuntary shifts in attention from noise...     

Non‐recombinogenic roles for Rad52 in translesion synthesis during DNA damage tolerance

DNA damage tolerance relies on homologous recombination (HR) and translesion synthesis (TLS) mechanisms to fill in the ssDNA gaps generated during passing of the replication fork over DNA lesions in the template. Whereas TLS requires specialized polymerases able to incorporate a dNTP opposite the lesion and is error‐prone, HR uses the sister chromatid and is mostly error‐free. We report that the HR protein Rad52—but not Rad51 and Rad57—acts in concert with the TLS machinery (Rad6/Rad18‐mediated PCNA ubiquitylation and polymerases Rev1/Pol ζ) to repair MMS and UV light‐induced ssDNA gaps through a non‐recombinogenic mechanism, as inferred from the different phenotypes displayed in the absence of Rad52 and Rad54 (essential for MMS‐ and UV‐induced HR); accordingly, Rad52 is required for efficient DNA damage‐induced mutagenesis. In addition, Rad52, Rad51, and Rad57, but not Rad54, facilitate Rad6/Rad18 binding to chromatin and subsequent DNA damage‐induced PCNA ubiquitylation. Therefore, Rad52 facilitates the tolerance process not only by HR but also by TLS through Rad51/Rad57‐dependent and ‐independent processes, providing a novel role for the recombination proteins in maintaining genome integrity.     

An analytical model for the ergometer rowing: inverse multibody dynamics analysis

A model for the ergometer rowing exercise is presented in this paper. From the quantitative observations of a particular trajectory (motion), the model is used to determine the moment of the forces produced by the muscles about each joint. These forces are evaluated according to the continuous system of equations of motion. An inverse dynamics analysis is performed in order to predict the joint torques developed by the muscles during the execution of the task. An elementary multibody mechanical system is used as an example to discuss the assumptions and procedures adopted.     

Mantel test in population genetics

The comparison of genetic divergence or genetic distances, estimated by pairwise F_ST and related statistics, with geographical distances by Mantel test is one of the most popular approaches to evaluate spatial processes driving population structure. There have been, however, recent criticisms and discussions on the statistical performance of the Mantel test. Simultaneously, alternative frameworks for data analyses are being proposed. Here, we review the Mantel test and its variations, including Mantel correlograms and partial correlations and regressions. For illustrative purposes, we studied spatial genetic divergence among 25 populations of Dipteryx alata (“Baru”), a tree species endemic to the Cerrado, the Brazilian savannas, based on 8 microsatellite loci. We also applied alternative methods to analyze spatial patterns in this dataset, especially a multivariate generalization of Spatial Eigenfunction Analysis based on redundancy analysis. The different approaches resulted in similar estimates of the magnitude of spatial structure in the genetic data. Furthermore, the results were expected based on previous knowledge of the ecological and evolutionary processes underlying genetic variation in this species. Our review shows that a careful application and interpretation of Mantel tests, especially Mantel correlograms, can overcome some potential statistical problems and provide a simple and useful tool for multivariate analysis of spatial patterns of genetic divergence.     

Detection of Oseltamivir-Resistant Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1)pdm2009 in Brazil: Can Community Transmission Be Ruled Out?

Although surveillance efforts that monitor the emergence of drug-resistant strains of influenza are critical, systematic analysis is overlooked in most developing countries. We report on the occurrence of strains of pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 with resistance and decreased susceptibility to oseltamivir (OST) in Brazil in 2009, 2011 and 2012. We found 7 mutant viruses, 2 with the mutation S247N and other 5 with the mutation H275Y. Most of these viruses were from samples concentrated in the southern region of Brazil. Some of these resistant viruses were detected prior to the initiation of OST treatment, suggesting that community transmission of mutant viruses may exist. Moreover, we show that one of these OST-resistant (H275Y) strains of A(H1N1)pdm09 was discovered in the tri-border region between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, highlighting that this strain could also be found in other Latin American countries. Our findings reinforce the importance of enhanced antiviral resistance surveillance in Brazil and in other Latin American countries to confirm or rule out the community transmission of OST-resistant strains of A(H1N1)pdm09.