Cloning and characterization of the cDNA for the Brazilian Cratomorphus distinctus larval firefly luciferase: Similarities with European Lampyris noctiluca and Asiatic Pyrocoelia luciferases

Studies on firefly (Lampyridae) luciferases have focused on nearctic species of Photinus and Photuris and Euroasiatic species of Lampyris, Luciola, Hotaria, and Pyrocoelia. Despite accounting for the greatest diversity of fireflies in the world, no molecular studies have been carried out on the highly diverse genera from the neotropical region. Here we report the luciferase cDNA cloning for the larva of the Brazilian firefly Cratomorphus distinctus. The cDNA has 1978 bp and codes for a 547-residue-long polypeptide. Noteworthy, sequence comparison as well as functional properties show the highest degree of similarity with Lampyris noctiluca (93%) and Pyrocoelia spp. (91%) luciferases, suggesting a close phylogenetic relationship despite the geographical distance separating these species. The bioluminescence emission spectrum peaks at 550 nm and, as expected, is sensitive to pH, shifting to 605 nm at pH 6. The kinetic properties of the recombinant luciferase were similar to those of other firefly luciferases. © 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ENCORE: Enhanced code Galileo receiver for land management applications in Brazil

Taking benefit of the new Galileo ranging signals, the ENCORE (Enhanced Code Galileo Receiver) project aims to develop a low-cost Land Management Application to cover needs of the Brazilian market in terms of geo-referencing and rural/urban cadastre, using a low-cost Enhanced Galileo Code Receiver as baseline. Land management applications require precision and accuracy levels from a few to several decimetres that are under-met with current pseudorange-based receiver and over-met with phase observations. This situation leads either to a waste of resources, or to lack of accuracy. In this project, it is proposed to fill this gap using the new possibilities of the Galileo ranging signals, in particular E5 AltBOC and E1 CBOC. This approach reduces the cost of the end-user solution, helping the rapid penetration of Galileo technology outside Europe. ©2010 IEEE.

ENCORE: Enhanced Galileo code receiver for surveying applications

In this paper we describe the development of a low-cost high-accuracy Galileo Code receiver, user application software and positioning algorithms for land management applications, which have been implemented using a dedicated FPGA board and dual frequency Galileo E5/L1 Radio Frequency Front-End. The current situation of rural property surveying in Brazil is described and the use of code measurements from the new Galileo signals E5 AltBOC combined with E1 MBOC for use in land management applications is explored. We explain how such approach is expected to allow delivering an absolute positioning solution which could bridge the gap between receivers of high cost/complexity/accuracy based on carrier phase and receivers of lower cost/accuracy based on pseudorange observables. The system is presented together with a detailed description of main components: the Code Receiver and the Application Software. The work presented is part of an ongoing European-Brazilian consortium effort to explore the use of new Galileo for land management applications in Brazil and sponsored by the GNSS Supervisory Authority (GSA).