Preserve and protect in a science museum

Reflections on the university campus usually focus on its relevancy as a research and teaching area; however, the need for preservation, protection, maintenance and cleaning only become visible in the event of inadequacy or lack thereof. The aim of this study is to address the characteristics of the preservation and security measures performed at the Science and Technology Park of the University of São Paulo (Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia da Universidade de São Paulo), agency subjected to the Dean’s Office for Culture and University Extension (Pró-Reitoria de Cultura e Extensão Universitária). Because of its history and location, the Park requires special care. The Park’s land formerly housed the Astronomical Observatory of São Paulo and the Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics of the University of São Paulo (Instituto de Astronomia e Geofísica – IAG-USP), within the Fontes do Ipiranga State Park (Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga – PEFI), in the city of São Paulo. Preservation and reconversion activities relative to historical buildings are developed at the Park. The institution’s location and its specificities require security in its borders, as well as in relation to the users of the park.

New insights about host response to smallpox using microarray data

Abstract Background Smallpox is a lethal disease that was endemic in many parts of the world until eradicated by massive immunization. Due to its lethality, there are serious concerns about its use as a bioweapon. Here we analyze publicly available microarray data to further understand survival of smallpox infected macaques, using systems biology approaches. Our goal is to improve the knowledge about the progression of this disease. Results We used KEGG pathways annotations to define groups of genes (or modules), and subsequently compared them to macaque survival times. This technique provided additional insights about the host response to this disease, such as increased expression of the cytokines and ECM receptors in the individuals with higher survival times. These results could indicate that these gene groups could influence an effective response from the host to smallpox. Conclusion Macaques with higher survival times clearly express some specific pathways previously unidentified using regular gene-by-gene approaches. Our work also shows how third party analysis of public datasets can be important to support new hypotheses to relevant biological problems.