Trypanosoma cruzi in Brazilian Amazonia: Lineages TCI and TCIIa in wild primates, Rhodnius spp. and in humans with Chagas disease associated with oral transmission

In this study, we provide phylogenetic and biogeographic evidence that the Trypanosomo cruzi lineages T. cruzi I (TCI) and T. cruzi IIa (TCIIa) circulate amongst non-human primates in Brazilian Amazonia, and are transmitted by Rhodnius species in overlapping arboreal transmission cycles, sporadically infecting humans. TO presented higher prevalence rates, and no lineages other than TCI and TCIIa were found in this study in wild monkeys and Rhodnius from the Amazonian region. We characterised TO and TCIIa from wild primates (16 TO and five TCIIa), Rhodnius spp, (13 TCI and nine TCIIa), and humans with Chagas disease associated with oral transmission (14 TO and five TCIIa) in Brazilian Amazonia. To our knowledge, TCIIa had not been associated with wild monkeys until now. Polymorphisms of ssrDNA, cytochrome b gene sequences and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) patterns clearly separated TCIIa from TCIIb-e and TCI lineages, and disclosed small intra-lineage polymorphisms amongst isolates from Amazonia. These data are important in understanding the complexity of the transmission cycles, genetic structure, and evolutionary history of T cruzi populations circulating in Amazonia, and they contribute to both the unravelling of human infection routes and the pathological peculiarities of Chagas disease in this region. (C) 2008 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

För Sverige i framtiden : Bio-objektifiering av ny medicinsk teknologi

Taking Sweden into the future – Bio-objectification of new medical technology In this article, we analyze how contemporary discursive silences around new biotechnologies such as cybrids and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), have been enabled by earlier policy processes in the area, e.g. boundary work around what is human and non-human, living and non-living, subject and object. The analysis of policy processes around xenotransplantations and the use of human embryonic stem cells, shows that the stem cells’ and xenografts’ “bio-identities” become stabilized through high expectations for the future, a lack of therapeutic possibilities and struggles over definitions of life. The policy processes around human embryonic stem cells and organs from other animals, are characterized by a normalization of certain understandings of ”life”, trust in scientific progress and it’s national financial potentials and a categorization of criticism as irrational. Through these “bio-objectification processes”, debate and decision making has been moved from a political and public context into ethical committees and research funding bodies. The article concludes by discussing consequences of this political non-handling of biomedical technologies and how these bioobjects could be re-politicized.

Critical anthropomorphism and animal ethics

Anthropomorphism has long been considered a cardinal error when describing animals. Ethicists have feared the consequences of misrepresenting animals in their reasoning. Recent research within human-animal studies, however, has sophisticated the notion of anthropomorphism. It is suggested that avoiding anthropomorphism merely creates other morphisms, such as mechanomorphism. Instead of avoiding anthropomorphism, it is argued that it is a communicative strategy that should be used critically. Instances of anthropomorphism in animal ethics are analyzed in this paper. Some analogies made between people and non-human animals in present theories of animal ethics are clear instances of psychological anthropomorphism. Other analogies are implicit cases of cultural anthropomorphism. It is argued that animal ethics needs to take the wider discourse of critical anthropomorphism into account in order to sophisticate the understanding and use of anthropomorphic projections. Anthropomorphism is an efficient tool of communication, and it may be made an adequate one as well.

Recent developments in statistical methods for detecting genetic loci affecting phenotypic variability

A number of recent works have introduced statistical methods for detecting genetic loci that affect phenotypic variability, which we refer to as variability-controlling quantitative trait loci (vQTL). These are genetic variants whose allelic state predicts how much phenotype values will vary about their expected means. Such loci are of great potential interest in both human and non-human genetic studies, one reason being that a detected vQTL could represent a previously undetected interaction with other genes or environmental factors. The simultaneous publication of these new methods in different journals has in many cases precluded opportunity for comparison. We survey some of these methods, the respective trade-offs they imply, and the connections between them. The methods fall into three main groups: classical non-parametric, fully parametric, and semi-parametric two-stage approximations. Choosing between alternatives involves balancing the need for robustness, flexibility, and speed. For each method, we identify important assumptions and limitations, including those of practical importance, such as their scope for including covariates and random effects. We show in simulations that both parametric methods and their semi-parametric approximations can give elevated false positive rates when they ignore mean-variance relationships intrinsic to the data generation process. We conclude that choice of method depends on the trait distribution, the need to include non-genetic covariates, and the population size and structure, coupled with a critical evaluation of how these fit with the assumptions of the statistical model.

Práticas organizativas em escolas de samba: o setor de harmonia da Vai-Vai

As escolas de samba são organizações peculiares do Brasil e têm sido foco de análise da sociologia e da antropologia há décadas. Nos Estudos Organizacionais muito pouco foi explorado a respeito dessa forma de organização e suas práticas organizativas para a produção de um desfile carnavalesco. Estudar esse universo pode contribuir para compreendermos como uma organização popular desempenha práticas de organizar capazes de produzir o macro-ator escola de samba, responsável pelos desfiles que fizeram o carnaval brasileiro ser conhecido mundialmente. É nesse sentido que o objetivo desta tese é investigar e analisar as práticas organizativas da produção do desfile de uma escola de samba do grupo especial da cidade de São Paulo. Para tanto, tomei como referência o trabalho do setor de harmonia da agremiação, cujas atividades são centrais no processo de produção do desfile. A tese está alinhada com o movimento na área de Estudos Organizacionais em direção ao estudo das práticas, o qual parte da idéia de que os fenômenos que se desdobram na realidade são conseqüência de práticas locais e acontecem por meio delas e de arranjos materiais nos quais humanos e não-humanos estão engajados na sua constituição. Tendo em vista essas noções, utilizei a Teoria Ator-Rede, uma abordagem que fornece um repertório analítico capaz de ajudar a entender o processo da ordenação social como efeito de uma rede heterogênea de elementos, na qual diversos e contraditórios interesses são negociados e uma estabilidade temporária alcançada. O trabalho de campo, desenvolvido com base em alguns princípios etnográficos, foi realizado junto ao setor de harmonia da escola de samba Vai-Vai. Durante a pesquisa eu fiz observações, entrevistas e reuni uma série de documentos referentes ao processo de produção do desfile. Tomando como ponto de partida minha relação com os sujeitos da pesquisa, analisei as transformações na minha identidade ao longo da pesquisa e as implicações disso para o trabalho. Ao seguir os atores e suas práticas organizativas pude identificar os principais espaços e arranjos materiais nos quais essas práticas se desdobram e o conjunto de controvérsias que se estabelece em torno dos diversos interesses envolvidos. Em cada um dos espaços (re)tracei os elementos da rede-de-atores e mostrei como as práticas organizativas coexistem com processos de desorganização. Essa se apresentou uma característica marcante das práticas de produção do desfile. Discuto na tese que as práticas organizativas ocorrem por meio de processos de translação entre os harmonias e vários outros atores humanos e não-humanos. Mostro ainda como as fronteiras de uma escola de samba são fluidas e as dicotomias comumente usadas para analisá-las ocultam uma forma de organização heterogênea. Concluo que as práticas organizativas são compostas por uma série de atores (humanos e não-humanos) que transladam seus interesses e contínuos esforços são realizados para estabilizar a rede-de-atores em constante estado de (re)constituição. Na conclusão destaco também que os elementos não-humanos são agentes ativos nas práticas organizativas e da pesquisa de campo e deveríamos atentar um pouco mais para sua presença.

Understanding e-government technology transfer: evidence from the transfer of a patent management system from EPO to INPI

Drawing upon Brazilian experience, this research explores some of the key issues to be addressed in using e-government technical cooperation designed to enhance service provision of Patent Offices in developing countries. While the development of software applications is often seen merely as a technical engineering exercise, localization and adaptation are context bounded matters that are characterized by many entanglements of human and non-humans. In this work, technical, legal and policy implications of technical cooperation are also discussed in a complex and dynamic implementation environment characterized by the influence of powerful hidden agendas associated with the arena of intellectual property (IP), which are shaped by recent technological, economic and social developments in our current knowledge-based economy. This research employs two different theoretical lenses to examine the same case, which consists of transfer of a Patent Management System (PMS) from the European Patent Office (EPO) to the Brazilian Patent Office that is locally named ‘Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial’ (INPI). Fundamentally, we have opted for a multi-paper thesis comprising an introduction, three scientific articles and a concluding chapter that discusses and compares the insights obtained from each article. The first article is dedicated to present an extensive literature review on e-government and technology transfer. This review allowed the proposition on an integrative meta-model of e-government technology transfer, which is named E-government Transfer Model (ETM). Subsequently, in the second article, we present Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as a framework for understanding the processes of transferring e-government technologies from Patent Offices in developed countries to Patent Offices in developing countries. Overall, ANT is seen as having a potentially wide area of application and being a promising theoretical vehicle in IS research to carry out a social analysis of messy and heterogeneous processes that drive technical change. Drawing particularly on the works of Bruno Latour, Michel Callon and John Law, this work applies this theory to a longitudinal study of the management information systems supporting the Brazilian Patent Office restructuration plan that involved the implementation of a European Patent Management System in Brazil. Based upon the ANT elements, we follow the actors to identify and understand patterns of group formation associated with the technical cooperation between the Brazilian Patent Office (INPI) and the European Patent Office (EPO). Therefore, this research explores the intricate relationships and interactions between human and non-human actors in their attempts to construct various network alliances, thereby demonstrating that technologies embodies compromise. Finally, the third article applies ETM model as a heuristic frame to examine the same case previously studied from an ANT perspective. We have found evidence that ETM has strong heuristic qualities that can guide practitioners who are engaged in the transfer of e-government systems from developed to developing countries. The successful implementation of e-government projects in developing countries is important to stimulate economic growth and, as a result, we need to understand the processes through which such projects are being implemented and succeed. Here, we attempt to improve understanding on the development and stabilization of a complex social-technical system in the arena of intellectual property. Our preliminary findings suggest that e-government technology transfer is an inherently political process and that successful outcomes require continuous incremental actions and improvisations to address the ongoing issues as they emerge.

Práticas de organizar na indústria criativa: a produção de um espetáculo de teatro musical em São Paulo - SP

Esta tese tem por objetivo compreender as práticas e ações de organizar necessárias à produção/organização de um espetáculo de teatro musical em São Paulo, a fim de explorar como as relações e articulações materialmente heterogêneas o sustentam e permitem suas apresentações. O foco nas práticas está alinhado à preocupação dos Estudos Organizacionais (EO) acerca de como “as organizações acontecem”, e na compreensão dos processos e práticas de organizar do cotidiano organizacional, remetendo ao entendimento das organizações como processos (organising) em constante estado de (re)constituição. O campo das indústrias criativas apresenta ainda lacunas pouco exploradas, referentes aos bens e serviços criativos. Seu foco de estudos está mais voltado para o consumo de tais bens e poucas pesquisas dedicam-se à sua produção e/ou organização. A própria noção de criatividade é entendida apenas como um atributo humano, talento ou habilidade, sem se enfatizar que alguns bens e serviços criativos e culturais apenas são possíveis a partir das relações e ações entre humanos e não-humanos. Na literatura organizacional, o teatro é amplamente estudado como uma metáfora ou como uma ferramenta de intervenção em processos de mudança ou aprendizado, sendo ainda raros estudos dedicados a explorar um espetáculo teatral como forma particular de organização. O teatro musical, inserido nas indústrias criativas, parece se consolidar no Brasil, principalmente pelo aumento de montagens de grandes musicais oriundos da Broadway, NYC, EUA, e sua crescente profissionalização, sobretudo na última década e, especialmente, na cidade de São Paulo, SP. Sua produção difere de outros gêneros teatrais pelo número de profissionais, investimentos e presença da tecnologia evidenciada em seus projetos de som, luz, cenografia e gestão de palco, tornando-o um campo fértil para a exploração sobre como atores se reúnem e formam o espetáculo visível (visto pelo público no palco) e o invisível (oculto nos bastidores). Sobre tal aspecto, a Teoria Ator-Rede (TAR), aqui utilizada como referencial teórico-metodológico, fornece um repertório analítico para a compreensão da organização como efeito de uma rede heterogênea de elementos, com uma estabilidade temporariamente alcançada. Para concretizar meu objetivo de explorar a organização de um musical, realizei uma pesquisa qualitativa, com inspiração etnográfica, na qual permaneci em campo durante dez meses junto a uma companhia cujo espetáculo esteve em cartaz em São Paulo entre os anos de 2013 e 2014. Descrevo, assim, como ocorreram as associações a articulações entre atores humanos e não-humanos, permeadas por esforços no sentido de gerar uma estabilização, um ordenamento, mesmo que precário, o qual é aqui entendido o musical (macro-ator ou rede-de-atores) em si e suas mais de trezentas apresentações durante a temporada, resultantes de ações em contínua (re)constituição. Negociações referentes a aquisições de direitos autorais, aspectos particulares da língua portuguesa, do público brasileiro, dos corpos e vozes do elenco brasileiro, as restrições estruturais do teatro, a produção de documentos, a marcação na sala de ensaios, a união do espetáculo via sistemas de som e imagem, a aquisição de equipamentos específicos e o sistema que permite “chamar o show” durante a apresentação são alguns dos temas que exploro. Com esta pesquisa, busquei assimilar o crescente interesse dos EO em relação organising e algumas das possibilidades oferecidas pela TAR quanto à multiplicidade e heterogeneidade inerentes às práticas organizativas, com o intuito de enriquecer a discussão acerca da organização e produção de bens e serviços criativos, destacando como a organização “espetáculo de teatro musical” é múltipla e materialmente heterogênea, e não apenas uma ideia exclusiva à ação humana ou criatividade como insumo de produção, tal como apregoa a maior parte das descrições referentes às indústrias criativas.

Aspectos sanitários do cultivo da alface americana, irrigada com águas recptoras de efluentes urbanos

Avaliou-se a influência da disposição de mangueiras gotejadoras nos canteiros e a injeção ou não de cloro na água de irrigação, nas condições sanitárias do solo e da alface americana irrigada (Lactuca sativa L.) com águas receptoras de efluentes urbanos. Foram realizadas análises microbiológicas de amostras de água do solo e da alface, no decorrer de todo o ciclo de cultivo. Objetivou-se determinar a possível existência de Salmonella spp. e de formas evolutivas de parasitos humanos e a quantidade de coliformes fecais, em pontos e épocas diferentes do experimento, impedindo assim o consumo da alface. Os resultados não indicaram a presença dos dois primeiros em nenhuma das amostras, mas sim de parasitos não humanos (nematóides) de vida livre no solo. em relação à quantidade de coliformes fecais (NMP ml-1), o valor encontrado na cultura atende às exigências da Secretaria de Vigilância Sanitária do Ministério da Saúde brasileiro, porém a presença dos nematóides em quantidades superiores ao permitido pela Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) inviabiliza o seu consumo.

Animais não humanos: a construção da titularidade jurídica como novos sujeitos de direito

This work has the main goal on the recognition of the inherent value of nonhuman animals, under the constitutional framework. It is presented the main philosophical formulations of the current pattern of behavior that rules the relationship between man and animals: first those that have excluded animals from moral consideration and then the thinkers which do have included, in some way, in order to elucidate the origin of the anthropocentric thought over the natural world. In this way, the analysis these thinkers that have included animals in moral consideration will contribute to a paradigm change from the anthropocentric view, initiating legal debates. It will be made a simplified analysis of different philosophical and legal points of view that have been demonstrating the posture in which the human beings have been dealing with the environment, with the replacement of the anthropocentric thinking for the biocentric view, in which life becomes the center of existence. Life is life, no matter whether it is human or not, has a value in itself, and must be protected and respected by the legal system. Then, it will be analized the constitutionalization of the nonhuman animal dignity in comparative law; the infraconstitutional legislation which concerning the intrinsic value of all life forms and, finally, the 1988 Constitution. It will be advocated for non-human animals the condition of subjects, presenting some cases that the Habeas Corpus was used in animal defense. In this new Brazilian Habeas Corpus theory of for apes the argument of genetic proximity was used in order to overcome the literal meaning of natural person to achieve hominids in order to assure the fundamental right of physical freedom. It is realized that the fact that the great apes being recognized as a person does not preclude the possibility of other living beings be recognized as subjects of law. In this way, animals can be considered non-human subjects of law, according to the theory of depersonalized entities and may enjoy a legal category that allows a respect for existential minimum, and can hold constitutional fundamental rights

Oxidation of acetylacetone catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase in the absence of hydrogen peroxide

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is a plant enzyme widely used in biotechnology, including antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (ADEPT). Here, we showed that HRP is able to catalyze the autoxidation of acetylacetone in the absence of hydrogen peroxide. This autoxidation led to generation of methylglyoxal and reactive oxygen species. The production of superoxide anion was evidenced by the effect of superoxide dismutase and by the generation of oxyperoxidase during the enzyme turnover. The HRP has a high specificity for acetylacetone, since the similar beta-dicarbonyls dimedon and acetoacetate were not oxidized. As this enzyme prodrug combination was highly cytotoxic for neutrophils and only requires the presence of a non-human peroxidase and acetylacetone, it might immediately be applied to research on the ADEPT techniques. The acetylacetone could be a starting point for the design of new drugs applied in HRP-related ADEPT techniques. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Estudo comportamental, hormonal e histopatológico de animais com perda de peso progressina (SEP) e da variável peso associada a uma nova classificação ontogenética em Callithrix jacchus

The use of non-human primates in scientific research has contributed significantly to the biomedical area and, in the case of Callithrix jacchus, has provided important evidence on physiological mechanisms that help explain its biology, making the species a valuable experimental model in different pathologies. However, raising non-human primates in captivity for long periods of time is accompanied by behavioral disorders and chronic diseases, as well as progressive weight loss in most of the animals. The Primatology Center of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) has housed a colony of C. jacchus for nearly 30 years and during this period these animals have been weighed systematically to detect possible alterations in their clinical conditions. This procedure has generated a volume of data on the weight of animals at different age ranges. These data are of great importance in the study of this variable from different perspectives. Accordingly, this paper presents three studies using weight data collected over 15 years (1985-2000) as a way of verifying the health status and development of the animals. The first study produced the first article, which describes the histopathological findings of animals with probable diagnosis of permanent wasting marmoset syndrome (WMS). All the animals were carriers of trematode parasites (Platynosomum spp) and had obstruction in the hepatobiliary system; it is suggested that this agent is one of the etiological factors of the syndrome. In the second article, the analysis focused on comparing environmental profile and cortisol levels between the animals with normal weight curve evolution and those with WMS. We observed a marked decrease in locomotion, increased use of lower cage extracts and hypocortisolemia. The latter is likely associated to an adaptation of the mechanisms that make up the hypothalamus-hypophysis-adrenal axis, as observed in other mammals under conditions of chronic malnutrition. Finally, in the third study, the animals with weight alterations were excluded from the sample and, using computational tools (K-means and SOM) in a non-supervised way, we suggest found new ontogenetic development classes for C. jacchus. These were redimensioned from five to eight classes: infant I, infant II, infant III, juvenile I, juvenile II, sub-adult, young adult and elderly adult, in order to provide a more suitable classification for more detailed studies that require better control over the animal development

Efeitos da senescência no núcleo supraquiasmático do sagui (Callithrix Jacchus): plasticidade morfológica e neuroquímica

The circadian timing system (CTS) is responsible for the generation and synchronization and the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus has been described as the major circadian pacemaker in many mammalian species. The internal temporal organization managed by SCN is disturbed with aging bringing many pathological disorders that range from loss of complex cognitive performance to simple physiological functions. Therefore, our aim was perform a comparative study of the morphological aspects and neurochemical composition in the SCN of marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) adults and older using immunohistochemical techniques. We found morphometric and neurochemical changes in th SCN o folder animals in comparison to adults, among these a possible decreased in retinal projection to the SCN of older animals, found through a decline in CTB immunostaining, which can occur due atrophy and/or decreasing of fibers from the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT). The Klüver-Barrera histological technique strongly suggests a decrease in those fibers from RHT. Also, by means of a morphometric study, it is found a atrophy and numerical decline of neurons in SCN of aged animals, investigated by Nissl technique, and immunostaining with NeuN and calbindin. Relative optical density (ROD) analysis were used to evaluate the expression of some neurochemical components in SCN, such as GFAP expression, which was increased in older, result that indirectly reinforces that morphological changes occurs due the aging; the vasoactive intestinal polipeptide (VIP) showed no expression alteration in SCN of older animals; the serotonin (5-HT) was descreased in the dorsomedial portion of the SCN, and neurpeptide Y (NPY) apparently also decrease due to the increase of age. Many of these modifications were seen in other animals, such as rodents, human primates and non-human primates. These data about marmoset comes to add new information of the effect of aging on structures responsibles for the circadian rhytmicity, and that some behavioral changes controlled by th SCN, and founded in aged animals, may be caused by these morphological and neurochemical changes. Although some results have been quantitatively negative, qualitatively all analysis show significant change comparing adult and older animals, perhaps due to a low sampling number. In conclusion, the marmoset presents several morphological and neurochemical changes in the SCN of aged animals compared to adults, which may result in behavioral changes that favor pathology aging related

Immunohistochemical and morphological features of a small bowel leiomyoma in a black crested macaque (Macaca nigra)

Background: Spontaneous gastrointestinal neoplasms in non-human primates are commonly seen in aged individuals. Due to genetic similarities between human and non-human primates, scientists have shown increasing interest in terms of comparative oncology studies.Case presentation: The present study is related to a case of an intestinal leiomyoma in a black crested macaque (Macaca nigra), kept on captivity by Mateca a Zoo, Pereira City, Colombia. The animal had abdominal distension, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea and behavioral changes. Clinical examination showed an increased volume in the upper right abdominal quadrant caused by a neoplastic mass. The patient died during the surgical procedure. Necropsy revealed several small nodules in the peritoneum with adhesion to different portions of the small and large intestines, liver, stomach and diaphragm. Tissue samples were collected, routinely processed and stained by H&E. Microscopic examination revealed a mesenchymal tumor limited to tunica muscularis, resembling normal smooth muscle cells. Neoplastic cells were positive for alpha-smooth muscle actin and vimentin, and negative for cytokeratin AE1/AE3 by immunohistochemistry. Those morphological and immunohistochemical findings allowed to diagnose the intestinal leiomyoma referred above.Conclusion: Neoplastic diseases in primates have multifaceted causes. Their manifestations are understudied, leading to a greater difficulty in detection and measurement of the real impact provides by this disease.

Identification, characterization and expression analysis of hepcidin gene in sheep

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Cloning, sequencing and expression analysis of the equine hepcidin gene by real-time PCR

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)