Abstract The steady-state is a situation of little variability of species dominance and total biomass over time. Maintenance of cyanobacteria are often observed in tropical and eutrophic ecosystems and can cause imbalances in aquatic ecosystem. Bayeasian networks allow the construction of simpls models that summarizes a large amount of variables and can predict the probability of occurrence of a given event. Studies considering Bayeasian networks built from environmental data to predict the occurrence of steady-state in aquatic ecosystems are scarce. This study aims to propose a Bayeasian network model to assess the occurrence, composition and duration of cyanobacteria steady-state in a tropical and eutrophic ecosystem. It was hypothesized long lasting steady-state events, composed by filamentous cyanobacteria species and directly influenced by eutrophication and drought. Our model showed steady-state lasting between 3 and 17 weeks with the monodominance or co-dominance of filamentous species, mainly Raphidiopsis raciborskii and Planktothrix agardhii. These evens occurred frequently under drought and high turbidity, however higher nutrients concentrations did not increase the probability steady-state occurrence or longer duration. The proposed model appears as a tool to assess the effects of future warming on steady-state occurrence and it can be a useful to more traditional process-based models for reservoirs.

Com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito dos sistemas de plantio direto e convencional e estratégias de manejo de plantas daninhas na variação da temperatura do solo e na produtividade de pimentão, realizou-se, na Universidade Federal do Semiárido, em Mossoró-RN, um experimento no esquema de parcelas subdivididas, distribuídas no delineamento experimental em blocos casualizados com quatro repetições. Os sistemas de plantio direto e convencional do pimentão foram avaliados nas parcelas; nas subparcelas, avaliaram-se três estratégias de manejo de plantas daninhas (cobertura do solo com filme de polietileno preto, com capinas e sem capinas). Em cada subparcela foram instalados sensores tipo termopares, a 5 cm de profundidade, para medir a temperatura do solo. A partir dos dados obtidos, determinou-se a variação da temperatura ao longo do dia, no período de 20 a 30 dias após o plantio das mudas de pimentão, e a cada cinco dias, a média das temperaturas máxima e mínima e a amplitude térmica diária. Aos 60 e 147 dias após o transplante das mudas de pimentão, foram feitas avaliações da densidade e massa seca de plantas daninhas nos tratamentos sem capinas. Os tratamentos com filme de polietileno e capinado no sistema de plantio convencional apresentaram elevação na temperatura máxima diária do solo em 6,7 e 5,0 ºC, respectivamente, em relação ao sistema de plantio direto com capinas. A amplitude térmica no sistema de plantio convencional nos tratamentos com capinas regulares e com filme de polietileno foi de 11 ºC, ao passo que no sistema de plantio direto a amplitude foi de 6,3, 4,5 e 4,0 ºC nos tratamentos com capinas, sem capinas e com filme de polietileno, respectivamente. A interferência das plantas daninhas nos tratamentos sem capinas resultou em redução de 94,95 e 92,10% da produtividade comercial nos sistemas de plantio direto e convencional, respectivamente.

To evaluate the effect of the no-tillage and conventional systems, weed management strategies on soil temperature variation, and yield of sweet pepper, a field experiment was arranged in a randomized block split-plot design with four replications. Tillage systems (no-tillage and conventional) were evaluated in the plots, and three weed management strategies in the split-plots (soil cover with black polyethylene film, with weeding, and without weeding). At 60 and 147 days after transplanting (DAT), density and dry mass of the weeds were assessed in the treatments without weeding. In each split-plot, thermocouple type sensors were installed at 5 cm depth to measure soil temperature. Based on the data obtained, temperature variation along the day was determined from 20 to 30 days after planting the sweet pepper seedlings, while the mean maximum and minimum temperatures and temperature range were evaluated every five days. The treatments with polyethylene film and clean weeding under the conventional tillage system showed an increase in maximum daily soil temperature at 6.7 and 5.0 ºC, respectively, compared to no-tillage and weeding. The temperature range was 11 ºC in the treatments using polyethylene film and clean weeding under the conventional system, 6.3 ºC under no-tillage with weeding, 4.5 ºC in the treatments without weeding, and 4.0 ºC under no-tillage with polyethylene film. The no-tillage system proved to be a good technique for the cultivation of sweet peppers under high temperature conditions. Weed interference in the treatments without weeding resulted in a reduction of 94.95% and 92.10% of marketable yield under no-tillage and conventional systems, respectively

Using a short-term bulk culture protocol designed for an intracellular-staining method based on a flow cytometry approach to the frequencies of cytokine-producing cells from tuberculosis and leprosy patients, we found distinct patterns of T cell subset expression. The method also reveals the profile of peak cytokine production and can provide simultaneous information about the phenotype of cytokine-producing cells, providing a reliable assay for monitoring the immunity of these patients. The immune response of Mycobacterium leprae and purified protein derivative (PPD) in vitro to a panel of mycobacteria-infected patients from an endemic area was assessed in primary mononuclear cell cultures. The kinetics and source of the cytokine pattern were measured at the single-cell level. IFN-gamma-, TNF-alpha-, IL-4- and IL-10-secreting T cells were intracytoplasmic evaluated in an attempt to identify M. leprae- and PPD-specific cells directly from the peripheral blood. The analysis by this approach indicated that TNF-alpha was the first (8 h) to be produced, followed by IFN-gamma (16 h), IL-10 (20 h) and IL-4 (24 h), and double-staining experiments confirmed that CD4+ were a greater source of TNF-alpha than of CD8+ T cells (P < 0.05). Both T cell subsets secreted similar amounts of IFN-gamma. We conclude that the protocol permits rapid evaluation of cytokine production by different T cell populations. The method can also be used to define immune status in non-infected and contact individuals.