Brazilian Accessions Research Articles

Rescuing the Brazilian Agave breeding program: morphophysiological and molecular characterization of a new germplasm

Agaves have been a valuable resource in dryland areas for centuries, providing fibers (sisal), food, and beverages. However, the advent of synthetic fibers has led to a decrease in research on Agave, resulting in the cessation of breeding programs in Brazil. With the rise of climate change, there is renewed interest in Agave for its potential as a biofuel feedstock in semiarid regions. Since 2016, we have been collecting Agave accessions throughout the country and retrieving what is left of Brazil’s original breeding program to establish a new germplasm bank. Here, we evaluated 21 of those accessions growing in the field. We used molecular markers and morphophysiological traits to characterize the plants. Based on the Mayahuelin molecular marker, we were able to reconstruct a phylogeny for the Brazilian accessions. The morphophysiological traits explained 34.6% of the phenotypic variation in the dataset, with physiological traits such as leaf water content, effective quantum efficiency of photosystem II (ΦPSII), and specific leaf mass (SLM) as the most significant traits. Specifically, we evaluated nine Agave species and found that the physiological traits, rather than the morphological ones, were the most significant. Leaf water content was negatively correlated with specific leaf mass, which could be used as a marker for selecting cultivars with higher biomass accumulation. Interestingly, ΦPSII and chlorophyll content were negatively correlated, suggesting photochemical adaptations throughout the rosette. Molecular and phenotypic data suggest that A. amaniensis, which is frequently considered a synonym of A. sisalana, is effectively another species. Overall, this study provides valuable information on the physiological traits of Brazilian Agave accessions and is a starting point for selecting more productive and climate-resilient cultivars for biorenewables production.

Brazil Reflects a Global Gender Disparity in Speech-Language Pathology: A Comparison of Leadership and Representation Within the Profession

Purpose: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are professionals marked by occupational gender segregation, with speech-language pathology jobs being dominated by women worldwide. In the United States, male participation in leadership and prominent positions within the profession has been gradually increasing, but the proportion of men compared to women is still very low. This study aimed to verify the prevalence of Brazilian men who are SLPs, assess the participation of male SLPs in leadership positions within the profession, and compare this gender distribution with that of other countries. Method: In this retrospective, descriptive cross-sectional study, we considered information contained in public databases and information obtained through utilizing the Brazilian Access to Information Law. Male representation in Brazil was assessed considering the distribution of active male speech-language pathology professionals, participation in collegiates of the Brazilian federal and regional speech-language pathology councils, participation in the board of the Brazilian Society of Speech-Language Pathology, participation in editorial boards, authorship in Brazilian journals, and prevalence in public health care. Besides the data gathered in Brazil, for comparison purposes, data on scientific representation in the United States and that of speech-language pathology societies in 40 countries were collected. Results: Males represent 4.8% of the Brazilian active speech-language pathology professionals. Representation in public health care was low (3.0%), which reveals a significant gender disparity. Male participation in leadership positions averaged at around 14%–25%, which can illustrate a potential growth in the field of male professionals. Conclusions: The gender disparity seen globally remains present in Brazilian SLPs. The findings of this study can benefit the profession by recognizing this inequality and stimulating the search for solutions that favor gender equality considering Brazilian sociocultural features.

Genetic relationships and genome selection signatures between soybean cultivars from Brazil and United States after decades of breeding

Soybean is one of the most important crops worldwide. Brazil and the United States (US) are the world’s two biggest producers of this legume. The increase of publicly available DNA sequencing data as well as high-density genotyping data of multiple soybean germplasms has made it possible to understand the genetic relationships and identify genomics regions that underwent selection pressure during soy domestication and breeding. In this study, we analyzed the genetic relationships between Brazilian (N = 235) and US soybean cultivars (N = 675) released in different decades and screened for genomic signatures between Brazilian and US cultivars. The population structure analysis demonstrated that the Brazilian germplasm has a narrower genetic base than the US germplasm. The US cultivars were grouped according to maturity groups, while Brazilian cultivars were separated according to decade of release. We found 73 SNPs that differentiate Brazilian and US soybean germplasm. Maturity-associated SNPs showed high allelic frequency differences between Brazilian and US accessions. Other important loci were identified separating cultivars released before and after 1996 in Brazil. Our data showed important genomic regions under selection during decades of soybean breeding in Brazil and the US that should be targeted to adapt lines from different origins in these countries.

Advances on self-(in)compatibility of accessions of feijoa [Acca sellowiana (O. Berg.) Burret

ABSTRACT This present work aimed to evaluate the self-incompatibility and self-compatibility behaviour of the Brazilian Feijoa Active Germplasm Bank accessions. The presence or absence of the self-incompatibility of the accessions was accessed through hand self-pollination. Out of 210 accessions evaluated from 2001 to 2018, 53.3% were registered as self-incompatible, while 46.7% were self-compatible with different degrees of self-compatibility based on the number of formed fruits. Subsequently, the fruit set as a result of inter-crosses between five self-incompatible accessions were evaluated. Fifty per cent of the reciprocal crosses exhibited similar productive efficiency based on fruit set. Self-incompatible accessions, although compatible with each other, revealed differences in restoration, based on the number of fruit and seeds between reciprocal crosses. Using Spearman’s correlation (rs ), significant association between the number of seeds and fruit set in fruits from hand self-pollination were detected in two harvests (rs = 0.64, rs = 0.72, respectively). There was also a positive correlation between the number of seeds and yield of pulp (%) in hand self-pollination (rs = 0.30; rs = 0.39, P < 0.01), hand cross-pollination (rs = 0.35, rs = 0.64) and open pollination (rs = 0.58, rs = 0.72), respectively. These associations suggest that the number of seeds could be directly related to the pulp yield and the self-compatibility of feijoa.

Genetic Diversity and Selection Footprints in the Genome of Brazilian Soybean Cultivars.

Although Brazil is currently the largest soybean producer in the world, only a small number of studies have analyzed the genetic diversity of Brazilian soybean. These studies have shown the existence of a narrow genetic base. The objectives of this work were to analyze the population structure and genetic diversity, and to identify selection signatures in the genome of soybean germplasms from different companies in Brazil. A panel consisting of 343 soybean lines from Brazil, North America, and Asia was genotyped using genotyping by sequencing (GBS). Population structure was assessed by Bayesian and multivariate approaches. Genetic diversity was analyzed using metrics such as the fixation index, nucleotide diversity, genetic dissimilarity, and linkage disequilibrium. The software BayeScan was used to detect selection signatures between Brazilian and Asian accessions as well as among Brazilian germplasms. Region of origin, company of origin, and relative maturity group (RMG) all had a significant influence on population structure. Varieties belonging to the same company and especially to the same RMG exhibited a high level of genetic similarity. This result was exacerbated among early maturing accessions. Brazilian soybean showed significantly lower genetic diversity when compared to Asian accessions. This was expected, because the crop’s region of origin is its main genetic diversity reserve. We identified 7 genomic regions under selection between the Brazilian and Asian accessions, and 27 among Brazilian varieties developed by different companies. Associated with these genomic regions, we found 96 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for important soybean breeding traits such as flowering, maturity, plant architecture, productivity components, pathogen resistance, and seed composition. Some of the QTLs associated with the markers under selection have genes of great importance to soybean’s regional adaptation. The results reported herein allowed to expand the knowledge about the organization of the genetic variability of the Brazilian soybean germplasm. Furthermore, it was possible to identify genomic regions under selection possibly associated with the adaptation of soybean to Brazilian environments.

Atmospheric Flow at Alcantara Launch Center

The Alcantara Launch Center (ALC) is the main Brazilian access to space. It is positioned over a complex terrain, and it has some important buildings for assembling, integration and launching activities, such as the Mobile Integration Tower. Being in a region of prevalent trade winds, the flow interaction between the complex terrain and the buildings can affect the safety of operations on the platform, and the dispersion of toxic gases emitted during the launching. The main objective of this work was to study the influence of topography and buildings on the atmospheric flow of ALC using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. Three geometries were considered: simplified terrain (case 1), smooth complex terrain (case 2), and roughness complex terrain (case 3). The flow conditions over ALC were simulated using the ANSYS Fluent 19.0 CFD commercial code. The numerical simulations used a realizable ?-? to model turbulence effects and the results presented a good agreement with the in-situ field measurements for the most complex geometry (case 3). The topography clearly influences the flow pattern at ALC, with the cliff influence over the wind being the major cause for establishing the flow patterns.

ICT Governance in the Context of Smart Cities: A Study in Brazilian Municipalities

ICT resources are essential to support, manage, and innovate cities services to citizens, especially in reference to smart cities context. From this perspective, ICT governance is fundamental to guarantee a return on investments and effectiveness in cities' administration. Based on the Brazilian cities best ranked in the Connected Smart Cities index, this work analyzed ICT governance practices in those cities. The results identified a lack of governance practices in most cities, a lack of active ICT governance transparency, and non-compliance with Brazilian access information law; thus, a set of lessons learned is structured for cities. Future studies can establish a good practice catalog and guidance as a baseline for an ICT open governance approach.

Personal data protection and access to information: interfaces of Civil Society role in Brazilian legislative process

The relationship between access to information and personal data protection leads to the relativization of transparency under the argument of a false tradeoff between these two concepts. Based on that, this study’s objective is to understand the role of civil society movements in maintaining the rights of access to information and personal data protection. This research made a qualitative analysis, with a documentary survey and bibliographic review of the main categories presented in the Executive-Legislative relationship and in the theme of advocacy. We observe the role of civil society lobby groups in the Brazilian Access to Information Law legislative process, between 2003 and 2011, and the Brazilian Data Protection Act, between 2012 and 2018, perceive the change of these groups with the foundation of Rights in Network Coalition, in 2016. As a result, the active participation of Civil Society in public hearings has intensified increasingly in public hearings since 2018, specifically on the LGPD, while LAI had participation of civil society in the body’s scope institutionalized.

Cultivar-Groups in Cucurbita maxima Duchesne: Diversity and Possible Domestication Pathways

Domesticated Cucurbita has been remarked as one of the plant genera with the highest diversity in color, shape and fruit dimensions. Their economic and cultural values are related to the consumption of the mature or immature fruits, seeds, flowers, and to the use as decoration. The wild ancestor of C. maxima, the ssp. andreana has an actual scattered and disjointed distribution, associated with megafauna seed disperser syndrome. It was domesticated in South America around 9000–7000 years BP. The cultivar-group is a subspecific category for assembling cultivars on the basis of defined similarity. The work describes and pictures nine cultivar-groups for the species, Banana, Turban, Hubbard, Show, Buttercup, Zapallito, Plomo, Zipinka and Nugget. The molecular and a morphological join data analysis scatter biplot showed Turban and Buttercup in a central position, suggesting a first step in the domestication pathway associated with seed and immature fruit consumption; afterward, bigger bearing fruits groups were selected for their mature fruit flesh quality on one hand, and bush type, short day induction and temperate climate adaptation on the other hand. The striking domesticated Brazilian accession MAX24 intermediate between cultigens and ssp. andreana strengthens, in concordance with archeological remains, the possible domestication place of the species more easternward than previously believed.

Advantages and disadvantages of Brazilian accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development – OECD

The research work, which is proposed here, has the scope to bring to the discussion the advantages and disadvantages arising from Brazil’s support of the OECD. It is an International Organization that through its members and member countries promotes policies aimed at the development and well-being of people. The study will begin with a brief history on the creation of the Organization, pointing out its origins, objectives and instruments, besides characterizing what it means to be a member of the Organization. The methodology used will be bibliographic, based on doctrine based on the theme. In conclusion, it will address the importance of global governance, in order to discuss the main results of the study on the admission process of Brazil, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of Brazil’s support to the Organization.

Phenotypic variability, diversity and genetic-population structure in melon (Cucumis melo L.) Associated with total soluble solids

This study evaluated the phenotypic variation in Total Soluble Solid (TSS) quantified in different environments, together with allelic diversity and genetic-population structure based on 18 microsatellites loci (SSR) in QTLs (Quantitative Trait Loci). The phenotypic characterization in 41 Brazilian accessions of melon and three commercial cultivars revealed a wide variation in TSS, with values higher than 9.0 % for commercial cultivars and lower than 4.0 % in traditional melon accessions. The genetic parameters inferred by the phenotypic analysis revealed low variances but high heritability, indicating that the expression in TSS is highly related to the genotypic potential. In contrast, the significant effect of genotype and environment interaction (G x E) on the studied trait suggests that the selection or recommendation of promising plants for breeding should be based on the behavior of these accessions in more than one environment. High allelic diversity was verified with amplification of SSR loci, ranging from two to ten alleles per locus. High polymorphic content indicates the use of markers such as CMATN22 for mapping and binding analysis. The graphical representation of genetic diversity revealed the formation of two large groups of variation, both in the main components analysis graph and in the weighted neighbor-joining dendrogram. The certification of the distribution was validated by the inclusion of two genotypes of the Spanish access “Piel de Sapo” (PS) in a group different from the exotic Korean access “Songwhan Charmi” (PI161375) and the hybrid PI161375 X A16. The genetic-population structure was inferred using the ad hoc and ΔK method, indicating two well-defined populations and corroborating the graphical information of genetic diversity distribution. However, eight subpopulations were defined, structuring genetic diversity in the analyzed germplasm. The distribution of PS and PI161375 varieties in different subpopulations, despite the structural similarity between the two PS genotypes, indicates an expected pattern in the population structure. The results show the studied germplasm is structured but diversified both from the phenotypic point of view and from the variation in alleles in QTLs for TSS.

People with visual disabilities and information accessibility for indoor mobility

Introdução: A lei de acessibilidade 10.098 de 2000 estabelece normas e critérios para promover acessibilidade às pessoas com deficiência. Dados do censo realizado pelo IBGE em 2013 informam que do total de 146,3 milhões de pessoas acima de 18 anos, aproximadamente 5,27 milhões são pessoas com deficiência visual (PDV), o equivalente a 3,6%. Método: Considerando que a informação quando é proporcionada de maneira correta leva melhores condições de mobilidade à PDV, este artigo apresenta a proposta de desenvolvimento de artefato eletrônico que lhe proporcione informação na sua mobilidade em qualquer espaço físico interno, posto que disponibiliza informações sobre distância, profundidade e lateralidade do ambiente, sendo categorizado como um mapa auditivo. Resultados: A partir da perspectiva da Ciência da Informação, abordando conceitos de estudo de usuários, acessibilidade e tecnologia assistiva a proposta trata dos desafios de acesso à informação e também de desafios ao acesso físico. O artefato foi desenvolvido utilizando o sistema Dosvox que é amplamente utilizado por PDV. A Biblioteca Central (BCE) da Universidade de Brasília (UnB) foi o espaço físico escolhido como o local contemplado para o desenho do artefato, por já possuir diversos recursos de acessibilidade à informação para a PDV. Conclusão: O objetivo de proporcionar acessibilidade à informação por meio do artefato desenvolvido foi atingido porque orienta a PDV em sua mobilidade indoor.

The mapping of ovarian cancer mortality trends in Brazil

Ovarian cancer is the eighth cause of death by cancer in women worldwide. The objective of this study was to analyze trends in the Brazilian ovarian cancer mortality and the relation to age, schooling, and race. Data was collected in the Brazilian Mortality Information System (SIM), from 2006 to 2016. The polynomial regression model was used for the trends analysis, a significant trend was considered when the estimated model obtained a p-value &lt;0.05. Ovarian Cancer caused 34,003 deaths in Brazilian women in this period, the mortality rate (MR) was 0.46 per 100.000 women aged less than 40; 4.2 in women aged between 40 – 59; 12.2 in women aged between 60 – 79 and 19.4 in women 80 years old or more. About Race, 65% were White, others were declared as Black, Asian, Mixed-race, or Indigenous. Only 26% had 8 years or more of schooling. Mortality rates from ovarian cancer seemed to be rising in Brazil, the major increase happened in the South, the Southeast, and the Middle-West Regions. Women aged between 40 to 59 had the most significant increase. Politics are needed to facilitate the Brazilian population's access to health services, consequently minimizing the time to diagnose and start the treatment. Research about mortality rates could help health workers identify gaps in knowledge and consequently decrease the magnitude of the disease.

Assessment of Juvenile Growth and Yield Relationship Among Dwarf Cashew Types in Ghana

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) is an important tropical cash crop cultivated in Ghana. It provides livelihood for about 200,000 people and contributes 6.1% to Ghana&amp;rsquo;s gross domestic product (GDP). Four Brazilian dwarf accessions were introduced to improve nut yield. Objectives of this study were to (1) assess the agronomic performance of the accessions across two contrasting ecologies, (2) determine environmental influence on juvenile growth, (3) determine the relationship between early vegetative growth and yield and (4) explore heritability and genetic advance for the measured agronomic traits. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Results revealed significant (p &amp;lt; 0.05) environmental influence on growth and yield of cashew. Transitional savanna agro-ecology is more suitable for cashew growth and development. Crop year, location and crop year &amp;times; location interactions also influenced most of the agronomic traits. Early growth characteristics alone were not enough to predict yield. Genotype B2 ranked highest yielding across the agro-ecologies. Moderate to high heritability and genetic advance estimates were observed for nut yield, plant height and girth, an indication of variability among accessions needed for cashew improvement in Ghana.

Selection of Brazilian native turfgrass accessions for establishment by sprigs

Abstract Researches with Brazilian native species of Axonopus and Paspalum genus have indicated their lawn-use. Thus, this research aimed to evaluate the use of sprigs, which are rhizomes and/or stolons fragments of plants without substrate and with reduced aerial part, as a propagation method for turfgrass establishment. Two experiments were developed. Experiment 1: turfgrass sods (1026 cm²) from Axonopus parodii (AP 01), Paspalum lepton (PL 01) and P. notatum (PN 01 to PN 06) accessions, were fragmented in a straw crushing machine in order to obtain the sprigs. After cleaning the substrate and organic residues from the sprigs, the following variables were analyzed: total number of sprigs; minimum, maximum and average length of the sprigs; standard deviation; number of sprigs shorter than 2 cm, from 2 to 4 cm, and from 4 to 6 cm long. Experiment 2: sprigs from three different length classes were planted and evaluated at 63 days after planting. The commercial variety Zoysia japonica (ZJ 01) was used as a control treatment. The following characters were analyzed: the survival rate of the sprigs, the number of shoots, expansion, soil coverage rate, dry biomass of aerial part, and dry biomass of the roots. Correlations were made among the data obtained. Higher yields were obtained for sprigs shorter than 2 cm and from 2 to 4 cm. All accessions presented better development when established with sprigs longer than 2 cm. The Paspalum notatum accessions PN 01, PN 02, PN 03 and PN 05 could be selected for turfgrass establishment by sprigs propagation.

Problematizando los impactos de la ley sobre el acceso a la información: mediciones públicas y uso ciudadano

The Brazilian Access to Information Law (LAI) had been in effect for six years in 2017, but there had still been few longitudinal and qualitative studies on the subject. This article performs a quantitative cross-sectional analysis in three time periods: 2010 (before the LAI), 2012 (during the implementation of the open data policy enshrined in the LAI) and 2017 (after the implementation of LAI policies). Qualitatively, it presents results of requests for information via governmental websites (Bahia, Sao Paulo and Santa Catarina) in the years 2012 and 2017, a test of the passive availability of information. The results indicate the importance, in the medium run, of the LAI regarding active transparency, and explain the reasons for the low quality of the sites to which the transparency assessment policy applied in 2012. Comparatively, in 2012, the results of the assessment of the passive availability of data are used once in the analysis done for 2017, but there is still a deficit in the intergovernmental integration of data.

Understanding the extent of phenotypic variability in accessions of Paspalum urvillei Steud. from the USDA NPGS

The objective of this study was to investigate the phenotypic variability in Paspalum urvillei Steud. related to twelve zootechnical traits to better understand the diversity of 41 accessions from the USDA GRIN platform from seven countries. First, we performed a structure inference based on the phenotypic data, identifying two structure groups, and the majority of Brazilian accessions belonged to the first group. Then, we performed principal component analysis and principal coordinate analysis, making Violin plots for each trait within each structure group. Next, we performed spatial clustering of the accessions and utilized an unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean clustering. In brief, the Brazilian P. urvillei breeding programs may be successful by importing USDA germplasm resources from the second phenotypic structure group.

JUSTIÇA RESTAURATIVA: CONCEPÇÃO E INTERFACE COM A POLÍTICA PÚBLICA

Este artigo é fruto de pesquisa exploratória, tendo como fontes bibliografias e documentos da área sócio jurídica. Tem como propósito contextualizar a Justiça restaurativa no âmbito judiciário brasileiro, explorar sua concepção e demonstrar a sua organização enquanto conjunto de ações, decisões e esforços que se configuram como uma política pública. A realidade brasileira tem sido contexto relevante para implementação de práticas da resolução e/ou transformação de conflitos através de métodos alternativos, sobretudo os mecanismos consensuais, e é nele que se insere a Justiça restaurativa. Destaca-se que a Justiça restaurativa tem potencial de garantir ao cidadão brasileiro acesso à justiça, consolidando os valores inerentes à democracia

Molecular markers indicate the phylogenetic identity of southern Brazilian sea asparagus: first record of Salicornia neei in Brazil

Abstract Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on ETS, ITS and atpB - rbcL spacer sequences assessed the phylogenetic status of the southern Brazil sea asparagus species of the genus Salicornia (Salicornioideae, Amaranthaceae). Accessions of Patos Lagoon estuary (32° S) were obtained from wild plants and two pure line lineages, selected from contrasting prostrate (BTH1) and decumbent (BTH2) ecomorphotypes found locally. Patos Lagoon wild plants, BTH1 and BTH2 f4 progenies showed 100% identical sequences for the atpB - rbcL and ITS spacers, only two mutations for ETS. Comparison of the sequences of these three markers with GenBank records confirmed the identity of Brazilian accessions as Salicornia neei . Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis of ETS sequences indicated that the southern Brazilian accessions of Salicornia certainly are not close to any of the Salicornia ambigua accessions in GenBank, which are restricted to the northern hemisphere, nor are they related to any Salicornia fruticosa/Salicornia perennis clade accessions, which are also restricted to Eurasia. All above cited species have been wrongly applied to the southern Brazil sea asparagus.

Cucumber mosaic virus resistance and reproductive biology of brazilian melon accessions

Abstract In melon (Cucumis melo) the resistance to Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV) and the knowledge about reproductive characteristics are important for selection of genitors for breeding population. So, the objective was to investigate if different accessions of melon from a Brazilian germplasm bank have variability in resistance to CMV (FNY strain) and polymorphism in resistance loci markers, as well as whether there is genetic diversity on resistance and floral morphology descriptors and reproductive biology, aiming at genetic improvement. The symptoms induced by CMV were evaluated in 52 melon genotypes which were genotyped with three markers of single nucleotide polymorphisms related to CMV resistance. A sample of 24 genotypes was characterized for floral and reproductive descriptors. The significant variation in resistance levels allows classifying the accessions in five groups. The polymorphisms detected by the markers were independently distributed in these groups, consistent with the oligogenic quantitative expression of the melon’s resistance. There were significant differences between accessions in floral and reproductive descriptors. Through the Ward-MLM multivariate strategy, these accesses were distributed into seven groups with distinct reproductive characteristics, including variability in pollen viability. Therefore, there are Brazilian accessions of melon that have resistance to CMV, as well as variability in reproductive characteristics.