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Genome assemblies are growing at an exponential rate and have proved indispensable for studying evolution but the effort has been biased toward vertebrates and arthropods with a particular focus on insects. Onychophora or velvet worms are an ancient group of cryptic, soil dwelling worms noted for their unique mode of prey capture, biogeographic patterns, and diversity of reproductive strategies. They constitute a poorly understood phylum of exclusively terrestrial animals that is sister group to arthropods. Due to this phylogenetic position, they are crucial in understanding the origin of the largest phylum of animals. Despite their significance, there is a paucity of genomic resources for the phylum with only one highly fragmented and incomplete genome publicly available. Initial attempts at sequencing an onychophoran genome proved difficult due to its large genome size and high repeat content. However, leveraging recent advances in long-read sequencing technology, we present here the first annotated draft genome for the phylum. With a total size of 5.6Gb, the gigantism of the Epiperipatus broadwayi genome arises from having high repeat content, intron size inflation, and extensive gene family expansion. Additionally, we report a previously unknown diversity of onychophoran hemocyanins that suggests the diversification of copper-mediated oxygen carriers occurred independently in Onychophora after its split from Arthropoda, parallel to the independent diversification of hemocyanins in each of the main arthropod lineages.

Logical character dependency is a major conceptual and methodological problem in phylogenetic inference of morphological data sets, as it violates the assumption of character independence that is common to all phylogenetic methods. It is more frequently observed in higher-level phylogenies or in data sets characterizing major evolutionary transitions, as these represent parts of the tree of life where (primary) anatomical characters either originate or disappear entirely. As a result, secondary traits related to these primary characters become “inapplicable” across all sampled taxa in which that character is absent. Various solutions have been explored over the last three decades to handle character dependency, such as alternative character coding schemes and, more recently, new algorithmic implementations. However, the accuracy of the proposed solutions, or the impact of character dependency across distinct optimality criteria, has never been directly tested using standard performance measures. Here, we utilize simple and complex simulated morphological data sets analyzed under different maximum parsimony optimization procedures and Bayesian inference to test the accuracy of various coding and algorithmic solutions to character dependency. This is complemented by empirical analyses using a recoded data set on palaeognathid birds. We find that in small, simulated data sets, absent coding performs better than other popular coding strategies available (contingent and multistate), whereas in more complex simulations (larger data sets controlled for different tree structure and character distribution models) contingent coding is favored more frequently. Under contingent coding, a recently proposed weighting algorithm produces the most accurate results for maximum parsimony. However, Bayesian inference outperforms all parsimony-based solutions to handle character dependency due to fundamental differences in their optimization procedures—a simple alternative that has been long overlooked. Yet, we show that the more primary characters bearing secondary (dependent) traits there are in a data set, the harder it is to estimate the true phylogenetic tree, regardless of the optimality criterion, owing to a considerable expansion of the tree parameter space. [Bayesian inference, character dependency, character coding, distance metrics, morphological phylogenetics, maximum parsimony, performance, phylogenetic accuracy.]

Jackfruit is an exotic fruit present in the Northeast region, presenting a great economic potential for the region, with its internal and external commercialization of its fruit. Its seed is rich in carbohydrates, protein, minerals and vitamins, an alternative source of starch and for food. Germination is an easily accessible, inexpensive technology for the production of sprouts, improving the bioavailability of nutrients in the seed for consumption, such as proteins, bioactive compounds. The objective of this work was to evaluate the chemical, physical and physicochemical parameters of fresh and germinated jackfruit seeds. The germination of jackfruit seeds increased the contents of water, proteins, ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds and total sugars, in addition to reducing the content of starch, lipids, tannins and the parameters of color, luminosity, red intensity (+ a*) and yellow (+b*). In relation to the physical properties of the seed, there was an increase in the real specific mass and in the unit mass, for apparent specific mass there was a reduction. Seed germination provided an increase in the levels of magnesium, iron and sodium, consequently reducing potassium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, copper and manganese., La yaca es una fruta exótica presente en la región Nordeste, presentando un gran potencial económico para la región, con la comercialización interna y externa de su fruta. Su semilla es rica en carbohidratos, proteínas, minerales y vitaminas, una fuente alternativa de almidón y como alimento. La germinación es una tecnología de fácil acceso y bajo costo para la producción de brotes, mejorando la biodisponibilidad de nutrientes en la semilla para el consumo, como proteínas, compuestos bioactivos. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar los parámetros químicos, físicos y fisicoquímicos de semillas de yaca frescas y germinadas. La germinación de las semillas de yaca aumentó el contenido de agua, proteínas, ácido ascórbico, compuestos fenólicos y azúcares totales, además de reducir el contenido de almidón, lípidos, taninos y los parámetros de color, luminosidad, intensidad del rojo (+ a *) y amarillo (+ b *). En relación a las propiedades físicas de la semilla, hubo un aumento en la masa específica real y en la masa unitaria, para la masa específica aparente hubo una reducción. La germinación de semillas proporcionó un aumento en los contenidos de magnesio, hierro y sodio, reduciendo en consecuencia potasio, fósforo, calcio, zinc, cobre y manganeso., A jaca é um fruto exótico presente na região Nordeste, apresentando um grande potencial econômico para região, tendo sua comercialização interna e externa do seu fruto. Sua semente é rica em carboidratos, proteína, minerais e vitaminas, fonte alternativa de amido e para alimentação. A germinação é uma tecnologia barata de fácil acesso para produção de brotos, melhorando a biodisponibilidade de nutrientes na semente para o consumo, a exemplo das proteínas, compostos bioativos. O objetivo do trabalho avaliou os parâmetros químicos, físicos e físico-químicos das sementes de jaca in natura e germinadas. A germinação das sementes de jaca proporcionou o aumento nos teores de água, proteínas, ácido ascórbico, compostos fenólicos e açúcares totais, além de reduzir os conteúdo de amido, lipídios, taninos e os parâmetros de cor, a luminosidade, intensidade de vermelho (+a*) e de amarelo (+b*). Em relação às propriedades físicas da semente, ocorreu acréscimo na massa específica real e na massa unitária, para massa específica aparente houve redução. A germinação das sementes proporcionou aumento nos teores de magnésio, ferro e sódio, consequentemente ocorrendo à redução de potássio, fósforo, cálcio, zinco, cobre e manganês.

A análise de células cervicais a partir de exames de Papanicolaou convencionais ainda é um grande desafio. Diferentemente das imagens de exame em meio líquido, a citologia convencional possui muita sobreposição celular e diversas estruturas epiteliais que dificultam a implementação de metodologias computacionais que possam dar suporte à automação dos exames. Este trabalho compara o desempenho de duas arquiteturas de redes neurais convolucionais para segmentar núcleos celulares. A avaliação considerou o uso de um novo banco de dados de segmentação. Os resultados mostraram que nossa proposta consegue segmentar núcleos celulares a partir de imagens de citologia convencional com múltiplas células e sobreposição.

Introdução:A gestão da qualidade em serviços de hemoterapia é um elemento crucial para a segurança transfusional. A implementação das atividades de gerenciamento da qualidade é um desafio no contexto brasileiro. Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito de um ciclo de melhoria nos serviços de hemoterapia do interior do Rio Grande do Norte, na conformidade com os critérios de gestão da qualidade, elaborados com base no Método de Avaliação de Risco Potencial em Serviços de Hemoterapia (MARPSH). Método: Estudo quase-experimental, antes e depois, que avaliou 13 critérios de qualidade, elaborados com base no MARPSH da Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária. Participaram do estudo oito serviços de hemoterapia do interior do estado do Rio Grande do Norte, sendo quatro Agências Transfusionais, duas Unidades de Coleta e Transfusão e dois Hemocentros Regionais. Estatísticas descritivas e gráficos de Pareto foram utilizados. Resultados: Observou-se redução de 36,4% dos problemas de qualidade após a realização do ciclo de melhoria. Na análise por serviço, houve um aumento no cumprimento dos critérios variando entre 7,0% e 50,0%. A implementação de protocolos, os procedimentos de auditoria interna e o monitoramento da qualidade foram os critérios que registraram relativamente uma maior adesão após a intervenção, todavia permaneceram como as principais causas de não conformidades, tanto antes quanto após a intervenção. Conclusões: O ciclo de melhoria demonstrou ser uma intervenção válida no aumento da adesão dos serviços às atividades de gestão da qualidade preconizadas pela legislação sanitária, tendo a Vigilância Sanitária um importante papel para alcance dos padrões estabelecidos Introduction: Quality management in hemotherapy services is a crucial element for transfusion safety. However, the implementation of quality management is still a challengein the Brazilian context. Objective:To evaluate the effect of a cycle of improvement in hemotherapy services in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte, in compliance with the quality management criteria, elaborated based on the Potential Risk Assessment Method in Hemotherapy Services. Method:Quasi-experimental study, before and after, that verified the compliance of 13 quality criteria, elaborated based on the Potential Risk Assessment Method in Hemotherapy Services. Eight hemotherapy services from the interior of the state of Rio Grande do Norte participated in the study, being four Transfusion Agencies, two Collection and Transfusion Units and two Regional Blood Centers. Descriptive statistics and Pareto charts wereused to analyze the quality criteria. Results: After the improvement cycle, there was a 36.4% reduction in noncompliance. In the analysis by service, there was an increase in compliance with the criteria, varying between 7% and 50%. The implementation of protocols, internal audit procedures and quality monitoring were the criteria that registered relatively greater adherence after the intervention, however they remained the main causes of non-conformities, both before and after the intervention. Conclusions: The improvement cycle proved to be a valid intervention in increasing the adherence of services to the quality management activities recommended by health legislation, with health surveillance having an important role in reaching the established standards

SAR image segmentation plays a central role in geoscience and remote sensing of the environment. Recently, methodologies that apply traditional segmentation algorithms to maps of statistical information extracted from SAR image rather than to the raw data itself have shown promising results. Nonetheless, the application of more powerful segmentation methods to these maps is constrained by the lack of adequate statistical models for such data. In this letter, we present a level-set-based algorithm that embodies much of the data statistics without assuming any prior model for it. We also evaluated its performance on both real and synthetic SAR images.

The plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRBs) is an interesting way to promote increased vegetable production. Here, we aimed to isolate, identify, and characterize PGPRBs by using biochemical tests, sequencing of 16S ribossomal DNA, in vitro and screening for indoleacetic acid production. The isolates were identified through VITEK® 2 Compact equipment, which is an automated system. We identified microorganisms such as Alcaligenes faecalis sp. faecalis, Pseudomonas putida, Proteus vulgaris, Providencia rettgeri, Serratia marcescens e Myroides sp. by performing vitek 2 biochemical tests. The analysis of sequencing data for 16S ribossomal DNA of the isolated bacteria showed presence of A. faecalis, Myroides sp., P. putida, P. vulgaris, Providencia sp. and Serratia sp. The in vitro screening of all isolated bacteria showed production of indoleacetic acid under presence of tryptophan, highlighting that higher concentrations were produced by Providencia sp. and Myroides sp. The rhizobacteria studied here have shown the potential to be used in the development of new products for plant growth-promoting.

Epicaerus panamensis Girón & de Medeiros, a new species of broad-nosed weevil in the tribe Geonemini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae) is described. Specimens have been collected on or around potato cultivars in Tierras Altas de Chiriquí, Panama. Field and habitus images, images of the male and female genitalia, an image of the feeding damage caused by the weevils on potato leaves, and a locality map are provided. The species is compared to the closely related Epicaerus inaequalis (Sharp, 1891), including a brief discussion regarding their morphological affinities and current taxonomic placement.

Os micaelenses sabem-no já: o importante conjunto da nova praça lado-sul da matriz, está projectado e vai erguer-se em moldes pombalinos!... A incongruência e o absurdo de uma tal proposição sente-o todo e qualquer leigo; basta para tanto boa fé e um pouco de bom senso.

The genus Penicillium is recognized for its ability to produce bioactive molecules with a wide range of biotechnological applications. Currently, the genus is distributed in 28 sections, with more than 50 species in the Exilicaulis section. Representative species of this section are responsible for the production of antimicrobial compounds, but they can also produce genotoxic compounds that affect commercial mushroom production or cause disease in immunosuppressed animals. In the present study, based on morphological characters such as the length of the conidia, phialides and stipes, as well as sequence analysis of the ITS region and partial sequence of CAM, TUB2 and RPB2 loci, we describe a new fungal species denominated Penicillium amapaense and report for the first time the occurrence of Penicillium labrodorum in Brazil, both of which were isolated from sediments of the Amazon River. The isolates obtained in this study for each species were submitted to antibiosis assays against 12 phytopathogenic fungi that affect important agricultural crops in Brazil and showed inhibition of 11 out of 12 of them. The production of amylase, cellulase and siderophore as well phosphate solubilization was also detected. Metabolomic analysis indicates the ability of P. labrodorum and Penicillium amapaense sp nov. to produce polyketides such as known curvularins and anthraquinones. In addition to these, unknown compounds were also detected. These results indicate the biotechnological and agricultural potential of P. labradorum and P. amapaense.

This study aims to evaluate the in silico genomic characteristics of Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius, isolated from Coalho cheese from Paraíba, Brazil, with a view to application in lactic fermentations. rRNA sequences from the 16S ribosomal region were used as input to GenBank, in the search for patterns that could reveal a non-pathogenic behavior of S. infantarius subsp. infantarius, comparing mobile genetic elements, antibiotic resistance genes, pan-genome analysis and multi-genome alignment among related species. S. infantarius subsp. infantarius CJ18 was the only complete genome reported by BLAST/NCBI with high similarity and after comparative genetics with complete genomes of Streptococcus agalactiae (SAG153, NJ1606) and Streptococcus thermophilus (ST106, CS18, IDCC2201, APC151) revealed that CJ18 showed a low number of transposases and integrases, infection by phage bacteria of the Streptococcus genus, absence of antibiotic resistance genes and presence of bacteriocin, folate and riboflavin producing genes. The genome alignment revealed that the collinear blocks of S. thermophilus ST106 and S. agalactiae SAG153 have inverted blocks when compared to the CJ18 genome due to gene positioning, insertions and deletions. Therefore, the strains of S. infantarius subsp. infantarius isolated from Coalho cheese from Paraíba showed genomic similarity with CJ18 and the mobility of genes analyzed in silico showed absence of pathogenicity throughout the genome of CJ18, indicating the potential of these strains for the dairy industry.