Uma Geografia da pesquisa sobre a mineração no Brasil no campo da análise geográfica (1987-2020)

A atividade econômica baseada no extrativismo mineral tem se expandido, sobretudo no Sul global. No Brasil, a mineração é uma atividade econômica secular e se processa a partir de diferentes formatos, do garimpo à extração mineral de porte industrial, apresentando complexidades e singularidades. O fenô­meno tem sido objeto de estudos científicos em diversos campos do conhecimento. Esta pesquisa obje­tivou identificar as abordagens teórico-metodológicas sobre a atividade extrativo-mineral no âmbito da Geografia brasileira para conhecer o estado da arte no campo da análise geográfica. O corpus da pesquisa foi constituído de 356 trabalhos, entre teses e dissertações, produzidos nos últimos trinta e três anos e coletados a partir do Portal de Dados Abertos da Capes. Procedeu-se levantamento e sistematização dos dados por meio de categorização dos estudos, análise bibliométrica e sistemática de conteúdo. Os resul­tados demonstram que a produção científica sobre a mineração, na Geografia, apresentou crescimento após 2010 e, sobretudo depois dos últimos grandes desastres/crimes da mineração em Minas Gerais (Ma­riana, 2015 e Brumadinho, 2019). O mapeamento mostrou que há predominância de estudos executados por Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) da região Sudeste. A partir de 2015 verifica-se maior presença de pesquisas em outras regiões, com prevalência, em 2019, nas IES do Nordeste. Nota-se variação teórico-metodológica das análises, com alternância, ao longo do tempo, nas abordagens e categorias analíticas da ciência geográfica. Nos últimos dez anos, observa-se uma predominância da categoria Território nos estudos identificados. Compreender essas e outras questões de maneira mais aprofundada pode ser uma via para ampliar as fronteiras do conhecimento sobre análise da mineração à luz da Geografia. Palavras-chave: estado da arte; mineração; extrativismo mineral; garimpo; análise geográfica. Abstract Economic activity based on mineral extraction has expanded, especially in the global South. In Brazil, mining is a secular economic activity and takes place in different formats, from mining to industrial size mineral extraction, presenting complexities and singularities. The phenomenon has been the object of scientific studies in several fields of knowledge. This research aimed to identify the theoretical-methodological approaches on extractive-mineral activity in the scope of Brazilian geography to know the state of the art in the field of geographic analysis. The research corpus consisted of 356 works, including theses and dissertations, produced in the last thirty-three years and collected from Capes' Open Data Portal. Data were collected and systematized through the categorization of studies, bibliometric and systematic content analysis. The results show that scientific production on mining, in Geography, grew after 2010 and, above all, after the last major disasters/crimes of mining in Minas Gerais (Mariana, 2015 and Brumadinho, 2019). The mapping showed that there is a predominance of studies carried out by Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in the Southeast region. From 2015 onwards, there is a greater presence of research in other regions, with a prevalence, in 2019, in HEIs in the Northeast. Theoretical-methodological variation of the analyses is noted, with alternation, over time, in the analytical approaches and categories of geographic science. In the last ten years, there has been a predominance of the Territory category in the identified studies. Understanding these and other issues in greater depth can be a way to expand the frontiers of knowledge about mining analysis in the light of Geography. Keywords: State of the Art; Mining; Mineral Extractivism; Garimpo; Geographical Analysis. Una Geografía de la investigación sobre minería en Brasil en el ámbito del análisis geográfico (1987-2020) Resumen La actividad económica basada en la extracción de minerales se ha expandido, especialmente en el Sur global. En Brasil, la minería es una actividad económica secular y se desarrolla en diferentes formatos, desde la minería hasta la extracción de minerales de tamaño industrial, presentando complejidades y sin­gularidades. El fenómeno ha sido objeto de estudios científicos en varios campos del conocimiento. Esta investigación tuvo como objetivo identificar los enfoques teórico-metodológicos sobre la actividad ex­tractiva-mineral en el ámbito de la Geografía Brasileña para conocer el estado del arte en el campo del análisis geográfico. El corpus de investigación estuvo conformado por 356 trabajos, entre tesis y diserta­ciones, producidos en los últimos treinta y tres años y recolectados del Portal de Datos Abiertos de Capes. Los datos fueron recolectados y sistematizados mediante la categorización de estudios, análisis bibliomé­trico y de contenido sistemático. Los resultados muestran que la producción científica sobre minería, en Geografía, creció después de 2010 y, sobre todo, después de los últimos grandes desastres / delitos de minería en Minas Gerais (Mariana, 2015 y Brumadinho, 2019). El mapeo mostró que existe un predominio de estudios realizados por Instituciones de Educación Superior (IES) en la región Sudeste. A partir de 2015, hay una mayor presencia de investigación en otras regiones, con una prevalencia, en 2019, en las IES del Nordeste. Se observa variación teórico-metodológica de los análisis, con alternancia, a lo largo del tiempo, en los enfoques analíticos y categorías de ciencia geográfica. En los últimos diez años ha habido un predominio de la categoría Territorio en los estudios identificados. Comprender estos y otros temas en mayor profundidad puede ser una forma de ampliar las fronteras del conocimiento sobre el análisis minero a la luz de la geografía. Palabras clave: estado del arte; minería; extractivismo mineral; garimpo; análisis geográfico.

User-Centric Process of Designing a Molecular & Cellular Query Interface for Biomedical Research

There is a growing demand for the adoption of user-centric design processes for the development of computational biology software as usability becomes a major concern. Our team develops interfaces for a human biomolecular data portal with user-centered design, so we present a case study of the design process of a molecular and cellular query to emphasize the importance of user-centric design and reveal the complications that arise in a complex software development environment. The study follows the design process from user requirement gathering to the prototyping of a minimum viable product.

mapMECFS: a portal to enhance data discovery across biological disciplines and collaborative sites

Background Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating disease which involves multiple body systems (e.g., immune, nervous, digestive, circulatory) and research domains (e.g., immunology, metabolomics, the gut microbiome, genomics, neurology). Despite several decades of research, there are no established ME/CFS biomarkers available to diagnose and treat ME/CFS. Sharing data and integrating findings across these domains is essential to advance understanding of this complex disease by revealing diagnostic biomarkers and facilitating discovery of novel effective therapies. Methods The National Institutes of Health funded the development of a data sharing portal to support collaborative efforts among an initial group of three funded research centers. This was subsequently expanded to include the global ME/CFS research community. Using the open-source comprehensive knowledge archive network (CKAN) framework as the base, the ME/CFS Data Management and Coordinating Center developed an online portal with metadata collection, smart search capabilities, and domain-agnostic data integration to support data findability and reusability while reducing the barriers to sustainable data sharing. Results We designed the mapMECFS data portal to facilitate data sharing and integration by allowing ME/CFS researchers to browse, share, compare, and download molecular datasets from within one data repository. At the time of publication, mapMECFS contains data curated from public data repositories, peer-reviewed publications, and current ME/CFS Research Network members. Conclusions mapMECFS is a disease-specific data portal to improve data sharing and collaboration among ME/CFS researchers around the world. mapMECFS is accessible to the broader research community with registration. Further development is ongoing to include novel systems biology and data integration methods.

Plant Hardiness Zone Map in Korea and an Analysis of the Distribution of Evergreen Trees in Zone 7b

Background and objective: This study was conducted to establish a Plant Hardiness Zone (PHZ) map, investigate the effect of global warming on changes in PHZ, and elucidate the difference in the distribution of evergreen trees between the central and southern region within hardiness Zone 7b in Korea. Methods: Mean annual extreme minimum temperature (EMT) and related temperature fluctuation data for 40 years (1981 to 2020) in each of the meteorological observation points were extracted from the Open MET Data Portal of the Korea Meteorological Administration. Using EMT data from 60 meteorological observation points, PHZs were classified according to temperature range in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Changes in PHZs for each decade related to the effects of global warming were analyzed. Temperature fluctuation before and after the day of EMT were analyzed for 4 areas of Seoul, Suwon, Suncheon, and Jinju falling under Zone 7b. For statistical analysis, descriptive statistics and ANOVA were performed using the IBM SPSS 22 Statistics software package. Results: Plant hardiness zones in Korea ranged from 6a to 9b. Over four decades, changes to warmer PHZ occurred in 10 areas, especially in colder ones. Based on the analysis of daily temperature fluctuation, the duration of sub-zero temperatures was at least 2 days in Seoul and Suwon, while daily maximum temperatures were above zero in Suncheon and Jinju before and after EMT day. Conclusion: It was found that the duration of sub-zero temperatures in a given area is an important factor affecting the distribution of evergreen trees in PHZ 7b.

The 4D Nucleome Data Portal: a resource for searching and visualizing curated nucleomics data

The 4D Nucleome (4DN) Network aims to elucidate the complex structure and organization of chromosomes in the nucleus and the impact of their disruption in disease biology. We present the 4DN Data Portal (https://data.4dnucleome.org/), a repository for datasets generated in the 4DN network and relevant external datasets. Datasets were generated with a wide range of experiments, including chromosome conformation capture assays such as Hi-C and other innovative sequencing and microscopy-based assays probing chromosome architecture. All together, the 4DN data portal hosts more than 1800 experiment sets and 34000 files. Results of sequencing-based assays from different laboratories are uniformly processed and quality-controlled. The portal interface allows easy browsing, filtering, and bulk downloads, and the integrated HiGlass genome browser allows interactive visualization and comparison of multiple datasets. The 4DN data portal represents a primary resource for chromosome contact and other nuclear architecture data for the scientific community.

The Challenges of Open Data Movement for Education: What is the Say of Young Employees and Students in Croatia?

This paper aims to shed light on how students and young employees in Croatia assess their education for open data and what is their opinion on the compliance of the central Open Data Portal with the needs of young people as well as how they evaluate open data policy related to the young people in Croatia. This research highlights the lack of technical knowledge as a serious obstacle to the productive use of open data. As many as 56% of respondents from companies that have undergone digital transformation believe that they do not have enough knowledge to participate in open data projects, and the same scepticism is expressed by 59.6% of non-technical respondents and 45.7% of students. The data presented in this paper is part of a broader empirical research on the impact of digitalization on the transformation of the Croatian economy, carried out by the author in late 2018 on a sample of 51 young employees from 10 companies in the city of Zagreb and 70 students from 16 technical and non-technical Faculties of Zagreb University.

Prognostic and Predicted Significance of FENDRR in Colon and Rectum Adenocarcinoma

BackgroundThe role of fetal-lethal non-coding developmental regulatory RNA (FENDRR) has been explored in various cancers; however, its relationship with colon adenocarcinoma/rectum adenocarcinoma (COAD/READ) remains unclear. The objectives of this study were to identify and assess any associations between FENDRR and COAD/READ using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and the Genetic Data Commons (GDC) Data Portal.MethodsThe records of patients with COAD/READ were collected from the GDC Data Portal. After comparing the expression level of FENDRR in COAD/READ and healthy tissues, we evaluated the association of FENDRR with clinicopathological characters and the survival rate, the impact of FENDRR on prognosis, the biological function of FENDRR, and the relative abundance of tumor-infiltrating immune cells in patients with COAD/READ. Moreover, we aimed to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network for selecting genes and a ceRNA network for presenting mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA interactions.ResultsIn patients with COAD/READ, FENDRR expression could differentiate tumor tissues from the adjacent healthy tissues since it was significantly lower in the former than in the latter. High FENDRR expression was correlated with poorer survival and higher tumor stage, current tumor stage, and metastasis stage, and also exhibited high scores for apoptosis, autophagy, and senescence. Immune cell infiltration analysis showed that the high expression group had significantly lower immune and stromal scores. Low FENDRR expression was correlated with poor overall survival (OS), and thus, it could serve as an independent risk factor. The prognostic models constructed in the study performed well for the prediction of OS and disease-specific survival (DFS) using FENDRR expression. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that vascular smooth muscle contraction, melanogenesis, basal cell carcinoma, and Hedgehog signaling pathways were significantly enriched in patients with high FENDRR expression. Eight hub genes, namely, PKM, ALDOA, PFKP, ALDOC, PYGL, CTNNB1, PSMA5, and WNT5A, were selected from the PPI network, and a ceRNA network was constructed based on the differentially expressed mRNAs, miRNAs, and lncRNAs to illustrate their regulatory relationships.ConclusionFENDRR may serve as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of COAD/READ.

HydroClim Data Portal: Cyberinfrastructure for providing high-resolution GIS modeled streamflow and water temperature data to researchers

Freshwater ecosystems play a key role in sustaining aquatic biodiversity. However, human alterations to watersheds and climate change are reducing critical habitat and the viability of populations of many aquatic species. The environmental changes have also had significant adverse impacts on water temperatures and streamflow. The changes in temperature and precipitation forecast over the next century are expected to affect the freshwater ecosystems and their biodiversity to an even greater extent than in the past. The aims of the HydroClim project are to provide openly accessible data on two key measures of stream conditions in the United States (US) and Canada for use in research, to increase public understanding of issues involving water resources, and to provide training opportunities for scientists who will be responsible for the conservation of freshwater biodiversity in the future. The project has used contemporary air temperature and precipitation data and future climate data from multiple Global Climate Model scenarios to generated high-resolution, spatially explicit, monthly streamflow and water temperature data for all watersheds across the US and Canada from 1950–2099 through multiple Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrologic models. This presentation describes a cyberinfrastructure we developed for hosting the HydroClim data, consisting of a relational database and a web-based data portal that allows scientists to query and download the data. We have imported almost 1.9 billion HydroClim data records into the system. At the time of this submission, 1.3 billion records of historical data and predicted streamflow and water temperature model data are available in the HydroClim data portal for 26 watersheds in the United States. The HydroClim data are also being integrated with fish occurrence data from Fishnet 2, via the Fishnet 2 API (Application Programming Interface), which provides occurence data records for over 4.1 million species lots representing over 40 million specimens in ichthyological research collections. Our plan is to extract and merge environmental data from Hydroclim API, with fish occurrences containing geospatial information from the Fishnet 2 API, displaying the integrated data on web-based interactive hydrological maps in different time-series, and providing a tool for visualizing ecosystem diversity. The combined Hydroclim and Fishnet2 data can be used for ecological niche modeling applications, such as predicting the future distribution of threatened and endangered freshwater fish species. I will describe the cyberinfrastructure of HydroClim data portal and some of the ways the data can be used in biodiverisity research in the future.