Strategies to improve the efficiency of genomic selection in animal breeding programs

Pós-graduação em Zootecnia - FCAV

Modelos mistos na avaliação e ordenação de genótipos de cana-de-açúcar, com e sem efeitos de competição com parcelas vizinhas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Concepções cotidianas e científicas sobre competição na educação de jovens e adultos

Objetiva compreender o papel das interações em sala de aula para a construção do conceito de competição. Propõe caracterizar e comparar as concepções de competição, de cada aluno da turma, antes, durante e após as aulas sobre Interações Ecológicas. Analisar a construção desse conceito nas interações alunoaluno e professor-aluno, para alguns dos alunos. Comparar as concepções dos alunos em diferentes momentos e avaliar as contribuições das interações para a elaboração conceitual de quatro alunos, que participaram de um dos grupos, considerando tanto as contribuições de suas interações com os demais colegas quanto comigo, durante uma seqüência didática. A análise das respostas fornecidas pelos estudantes no pré-teste 01, permitiu a elaboração de um segundo instrumento de coleta de dados, o pré-teste 02. As respostas dos estudantes ao pré-teste 02 foram organizadas em categorias, as quais foram comparadas posteriormente, com aquelas provenientes do pós-teste 02. Este estudo foi realizado nas aulas de Ciências de uma turma de 3 Etapa (EJA) de uma Escola Estadual de Ensino Fundamental, com (16) dezesseis alunos que participaram de todas as etapas da pesquisa, dos quais nove são do sexo feminino e sete do sexo masculino. As aulas foram gravadas em fita de vídeo-cassete e em fita cassete comum e após a transcrição das mesmas realizou-se a análise, tendo como critério de seleção dos episódios a forma como quatro alunos que participaram do grupo recombinado 1 em momentos distintos (individual inicial, grupo espontâneo, grupo recombinado e individual final) construíram, individualmente e na interação com o professor, uma resposta escrita consensual para a questão: Comparando todos os episódios do vídeo assistido, você acha que existe alguma semelhança entre essas relações? Por que? Os resultados evidenciaram que dos dezesseis (16) estudantes que participaram de todas as etapas do processo, nove demonstraram melhoria do perfil conceitual e sete alunos apresentaram respostas finais que foram classificadas na mesma categoria de suas respostas iniciais, dentre estes, três tiveram suas respostas classificadas na categoria mais avançada (D), dois nas categorias intermediárias (um em B e outro em C) e dois na categoria mais afastada (A) do conceito científico de competição. Os quatro estudantes selecionados para análise chegaram, ao final, a uma generalização para questão proposta, partindo de explicações fundamentadas, algumas vezes, em generalizações ou explicações que incorporavam termos teóricos, com ou sem domínio conceitual, demonstrando que eles não se apropriaram da mesma forma dos elementos apresentados nas respostas dos grupos que eles haviam participado.

A ciência do governar: positivismo, evolucionismo e natureza em Lauro Sodré

A polêmica jornalística que, em 1881, envolveu o então 2º Tenente Lauro Sodré, o bispo D. Macedo Costa e o jornal católico A Boa Nova, ocorreu num momento em que já estavam presentes na sociedade brasileira os fatores da desagregação do Império. O que se pretendeu, com este trabalho, foi estudar o confronto como representação discursiva de um choque de ideias nos quadros sociais e intelectuais do Brasil do final do Oitocentos: com o primeiro, a ciência e o progresso, instrumentos apontados como fundamentais para a república; com o segundo, a fé e a religião, instrumentos essenciais para a monarquia. De acordo com a perspectiva filosófico-histórica do positivismo, essas questões fundamentavam o processo de evolução social do Homem, inclusive politicamente entendida. Note-se, igualmente, que na obra máxima da teoria evolucionista, On the origin of species by means of natural selection (1859) de Darwin, o movimento histórico se subordina decididamente às leis naturais e se insere no processo mais amplo da evolução do universo. A evolução é considerada, efetivamente, não como um simples movimento, mas como melhoramento, um progresso. Aos olhos positivistas de Lauro Sodré, a ideia de uma monarquia atrelada à sobrevivência da origem divina do poder aparecia como uma digna representação dos estados não-epistemológicos da humanidade, o metafísico e o teológico; já a república surgia como a única forma de governo “compatível com a dignidade humana”. Projetada esta polêmica sobre as realidades mentais do próprio tempo, tem-se, em última análise, a revelação de um dos componentes da natureza e das formas que assumiu a problemática relação entre pensamento filosófico e objeto político dominante no movimento de ideias no Brasil ao final do século XIX.

Simulação de diferentes estratégias de seleção na bubalinocultura leiteira

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

Variabilidade genética e correlações juvenil - adulto de baru (Dipteryx alata Vog.) no Município de Brasilândia - Mg

Pós-graduação em Ciência Florestal - FCA

Accuracy in dictation after improvement of reading and copying skills in a student with learning difficulties

The aim of this study was to use systematic teaching in a clinical setting using software to teach reading and writing in one boy with learning difficulties and obtain accurate performance in dictation. In the pre-test, the student showed good performance in matching-to-sample tasks (96% in matching printed words to dictated words; 88% in matching pictures to dictated words), although he obtained a low percentage of correct answers in the dictation of constructed responses (52%) and manuscripts (24%). The teaching strengthened the selection of printed words matched to dictated words and copying words. The student obtained 100% correct answers in the teaching tasks. In post-tests of dictation, he obtained 100% correct answers in constructed response and 96% correct answers in manuscripts. The results indicate that carefully teaching copying may promote accuracy in the performance of responding to minimal units in dictation tasks.

O processo de análise de assunto na catalogação de livros em bibliotecas universitárias: aplicação do protocolo verbal

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

The Buffalo Genome and the Application of Genomics in Animal Management and Improvement

The publication of the human genome sequence in 2001 was a major step forward in knowledge necessary to understand the variations between individuals. For farmed species, genomic sequence information will facilitate the selection of animals optimised to live, and be productive, in particular environments. The availability of cattle genome sequence has allowed the breeding industry to take the first steps towards predicting phenotypes from genotypes by estimating a genomic breeding value (gEBV) for bulls using genome-wide DNA markers. The sequencing of the buffalo genome and creation of a panel of DNA markers has created the opportunity to apply molecular selection approaches for this species.The genomes of several buffalo of different breeds were sequenced and aligned with the bovine genome, which facilitated the identification of millions of sequence variants in the buffalo genomes. Based on frequencies of variants within and among buffalo breeds, and their distribution across the genome compared with the bovine genome, 90,000 putative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were selected to create an Axiom (R) Buffalo Genotyping Array 90K. This SNP Chip was tested in buffalo populations from Italy and Brazil and found to have at least 75% high quality and polymorphic markers in these populations. The 90K SNP chip was then used to investigate the structure of buffalo populations, and to localise the variations having a major effect on milk production.

Genetic Parameters for Growth Traits of Mediterranean Buffaloes from Brazil, Estimated By Bayesian Inference

Quantitative analysis of growth genetic parameters is not available for many breeds of buffaloes making selection and breeding decisions an empirical process that lacks robustness. The objective of this study was to estimate heritability for birth weight (BW), weight at 205 days (W205) and 365 days (W365) of age using Bayesian inference. The Brazilian Program for Genetic Improvement of Buffaloes provided the data. For the traits BW, W205 and W365 of Brazilian Mediterranean buffaloes 5169, 3792 and 3883 observations have been employed for the analysis, respectively. In order to obtain the estimates of variance, univariate analyses were conducted using the Gibbs sampler included in the MTGSAM software. The model for BW, W205 and W365 included additive direct and maternal genetic random effects, random maternal permanent environmental effect and contemporary group that was treated as a fixed effect. The convergence diagnosis was performed employing Geweke, a method that uses an algorithm from the Bayesian Output Analysis package that was implemented using R software environment. The average values for weight traits were 37.6 +/- 4.7 kg for BW, 192.7 +/- 40.3 kg for W205 and 298.6 +/- 67.4 kg for W365. The heritability posterior distributions for direct and maternal effects were symmetric and close to those expected in a normal distribution. Direct heritability estimates obtained using the modes were 0.30 (BW), 0.52 (W205) and 0.54 (W365). The maternal heritability coefficient estimates were 0.31, 0.19 and 0.21 for BW, W205 and W365, respectively. Our data suggests that all growth traits and mainly W205 and W365, have clear potential for yield improvement through direct genetic selection.

Sustainable worm control practices in South America

A high prevalence of nematodes, especially Haemonchus contortus and Trichostrongylus colubriformis, that exhibit multiple anthelmintics resistance has been reported in sheep in several South American countries. For this reason, the development of strategies that are less dependent on anthelmintic treatments is imperative for the prophylaxis of gastrointestinal nematode infections in small ruminants. Integrated grazing using cattle and sheep can be used for pasture decontamination with considerable reduction of H. contortus and T. colubnformis infective larvae after cattle grazing. Several breeds of sheep exhibit genetically related resistance against nematode infections, as is the case of crioulo, native or naturalised breeds of sheep. These breeds descend from livestock introduced by Portuguese and Spanish settlers and have been submitted to a long process of natural selection in various environmental conditions. In the South, the Crioula Lanada breed is more resistant to H. contortus than are Corriedale sheep. In tropical areas, where the minimum temperatures are usually higher than 20 degrees C, hair sheep flourish, especially the Santa Ines breed, which also display a higher level of resistance to nematode infections compared with certain breeds of European origin. However, Santa Ines sheep have inferior carcass quality compared with other commercial breeds. Recent studies showed that the crossbreeding of Santa Ines ewes with sires of breeds with high potential for growth and meat production, results in crossbred animals with high productivity and a satisfactory degree of resistance against nematode infections. Several studies have indicated that improvement in nutrition has a beneficial effect on the development of resistance in lambs that were naturally or artificially infected with nematodes. Therefore, supplementary feeding and breeding strategies to improve resistance to nematodes are feasible options in the effort to reduce dependence on anthelmintic drugs to control worm infections in sheep. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rank Aggregation for Pattern Classifier Selection in Remote Sensing Images

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Artificial Immune Systems with Negative Selection Applied to Health Monitoring of Aeronautical Structures

In this paper we present a system for aircraft structural health monitoring based on artificial immune systems with negative selection. Inspired by a biological process, the principle of discrimination proper/non-proper, identifies and characterizes the signs of structural failure. The main application of this method is to assist in the inspection of aircraft structures, to detect and characterize flaws and decision making in order to avoid disasters. We proposed a model of an aluminum beam to perform the tests of the method. The results obtained by this method are excellent, showing robustness and accuracy.

Proposta de um processo de categorização de fornecedores para a execução de projetos

Nowadays, in business environment, organizations seek to differentiate through special programs and plans, taking the concepts of sustainability, performance and benefits generated for society. Based in this competitive environment, as companies depend on the use of subcontractors to perform services for your different customers, the work performed by them is directly related to the vision created by the final customer’s vision of the company responsible for the project. Considering that the supplier hired to execute the project does not share the strategic concepts related to the level of services to be offered to the final customers, thus creating the need to develop methods that enable the alignment between the project owner, responsible for preparing the executive project, and the supplier, responsible for the execution of the work. Tangent to this need, it was necessary to create a method of evaluation and categorization for suppliers to hired for the projects. As a result it has been proposed a process of categorization of suppliers, through the restriction of possible companies to be hired for a project designed to promote alignment between strategies and continuous improvement of the solutions offered to the market

Improvement of water transport and carotenoid retention during drying of papaya by applying ultrasonic osmotic pretreatment

The effect of ultrasound and osmotic dehydration pretreatments on papaya drying kinetics was investigated. The ultrasound pretreatment was carried out in an ultrasonic bath at 30 A degrees C. The osmotic pretreatment in sucrose solution was carried out in an incubator at 34 A degrees C and agitation of 80 rpm for 210 min. The drying process was conducted in a fixed bed dryer at 70 A degrees C. Experimental data were fitted successfully using the Page model for dried fresh and pretreated fruits, with coefficient of determination greater than 0.9992 and average relative error lower that 14.4 %. The diffusional model was used to describe the moisture transfer, and the effective water diffusivity was identified in the order of 10(-9) m(2) s(-1). It was found that drying rates of osmosed fruits were the lowest due to the presence of infused solutes, while the ultrasound pretreatment contributed to faster drying rates. Evaluation of the dried fruit was performed by means of total carotenoids retention. Ultrasound treatments in distilled water prior to air-drying gave rise to dried papayas with retention of carotenoids in the range 30.4-39.8 % and the ultrasonic-assisted osmotic dehydration of papayas showed carotenoids retention values up to 64.9 %, whereas the dried fruit without pretreatment showed carotenoids retention lower than 24 %.