Sequence analysis of part of a large plasmid carried by Australian environmental isolate of Listeria monocytogenes strain DRDC8 has lead to identification of an islet of genes that encode proteins similar to copper binding and transport genes found in other Gram positive bacteria. Comparative sequence analysis showed that there are at least four genes (pCT0017, pCT0018, pCT0019 and ctpA) on this islet predicted to be involved in copper homeostasis. One of these, ctpA, is predicted to encode a P-type ATPase with a function analogous to CopA, a copper transporting gene in Enterococcus hirae. ORF pCT0017 is likely to be a CopY-like regulatory protein which could control the expression of ctpA. ORF pCT0019 is predicted to be a Cu²⁺ binding protein. In addition, two genes located downstream of the ctpA are predicted to encode a two component regulatory system region. The predicted function of ORF pCT0018 is not clear. A related chromosomal gene (cutR) is predicted to also encode a copper transporting P-type ATPase. To investigate the role of the protein encoded by pCT0018, the growth behavior of L. monocytogenes strain DRDC8, other strains carrying mutations within pCT0018, pCT0019, cutR and ctpA, as well as strains cured of the large plasmid, were grown under conditions of copper stress and starvation. The growth data showed that with the exception of strain DRDC8 and other strains carrying ctpA, most were unable to grow at higher copper concentration (>15 mM CuSO₄) and suggested that the copper homeostasis genes located on the large plasmid are associated with tolerance to high levels of copper. Strain DSE955PL, which carries a cutR mutation and is cured of the large plasmid, was the most sensitive (<5 mM CuSO₄). This indicated that proteins encoded by plasmid genes work synergistically to confer tolerance to copper. Of most interest was the fact that a pCT0018 mutant was more sensitive (<15 mM CuSO₄) to high levels of copper than the wild type parent DRDC8 (<20 mM CuSO₄). This suggested that ORF pCT0018 was necessary for copper tolerance. To investigate the effects of insertion mutations in pCT0017, pCT0018 and ctpA on copper uptake and export, the levels of copper accumulated by these strains was assessed using atomic absorption spectroscopy. A significant difference in copper accumulation among the bacteria strains was observed when either LEB or BHI media were used to culture the bacteria. This data suggested that the growth medium chemicals influence the levels of copper accumulated by cells. However, the effect of these media on bacteria growth rates during copper stress was not significant. Atomic absorption analysis of intracellular copper accumulation suggested that DSE955PL and DSE955 (a chromosome mutant) were able to accumulate copper (80 - 110 mg.gˉ¹ dry weight of cells), whereas DRDC8 and strains carrying mutations in pCT0018, ctpA, and strains cured of the large plasmid, were less able to accumulate copper (30 - 70 mg.gˉ¹ dry weight of cells). This data suggested that cutR may encode a copper export system and that ctpA is involved in copper uptake. To investigate the gene expression profile for pCT0018 under elevated copper, reverse transcriptase PCR was used to detect transcripts encoding pCT0017, pCT0018, pCT0019 and pCT0020 from RNA extracted from L. monocytogenes strain DRDC8 following culture at elevated levels of copper. Although transcripts for each of the target genes were detected, transcription was not responsive to copper, nor was the pattern of transcription consistent with that expected for a single operon. To directly determine whether the protein encoded by the pCT0018 open reading frame was able to bind copper, this gene was cloned in pET15b in frame with an N-terminal Histag and expressed in E. coli. The expressed protein was purified with a Ni-NTA column and shown to contain copper. Attempts to directly show that protein pCT0018 could bind copper by Cu-IMAC were unable to unequivocally show that the protein was immobilized on the column. Purified protein was used to raise a polyclonal antiserum in rabbit and the antiserum was used for Western analysis to test expression of pCT0018 by wild type L. monocytogenes DRDC8 and specific gene mutants. Although the antiserum bound to purified protein, it was not possible to demonstrate binding to native pCT0018 in cell lysates prepared from L. monocytogenes DRDC8. SDS-PAGE of cytoplasmic and cell envelope proteins isolated from L. monocytogenes strains was used to identify proteins expressed in response to copper stress and starvation. No significant differences in protein profiles for cytoplasmic protein were observed. However, copper-immobilized metal affinity chromatography (Cu-IMAC) showed that expression of a number of copper binding proteins were differentially expressed by DRDC8 following growth in copper stress and starvation conditions. Three of these proteins were selected for amino sequence analysis by MALDI-TOFF MS. Two were confirmed to be L. monocytogenes non-heme iron-binding ferritin and a thiol peroxidase, both of which bind copper. The other protein was similar to an unknown protein from L. monocytogenes. Interestingly, no proteins directly implicated with the copper homeostasis islet were identified. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1374407 / Thesis (M.Sc.) - University of Adelaide, School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, 2009

Sequence analysis of part of a large plasmid carried by Australian environmental isolate of Listeria monocytogenes strain DRDC8 has lead to identification of an islet of genes that encode proteins similar to copper binding and transport genes found in other Gram positive bacteria. Comparative sequence analysis showed that there are at least four genes (pCT0017, pCT0018, pCT0019 and ctpA) on this islet predicted to be involved in copper homeostasis. One of these, ctpA, is predicted to encode a P-type ATPase with a function analogous to CopA, a copper transporting gene in Enterococcus hirae. ORF pCT0017 is likely to be a CopY-like regulatory protein which could control the expression of ctpA. ORF pCT0019 is predicted to be a Cu²⁺ binding protein. In addition, two genes located downstream of the ctpA are predicted to encode a two component regulatory system region. The predicted function of ORF pCT0018 is not clear. A related chromosomal gene (cutR) is predicted to also encode a copper transporting P-type ATPase. To investigate the role of the protein encoded by pCT0018, the growth behavior of L. monocytogenes strain DRDC8, other strains carrying mutations within pCT0018, pCT0019, cutR and ctpA, as well as strains cured of the large plasmid, were grown under conditions of copper stress and starvation. The growth data showed that with the exception of strain DRDC8 and other strains carrying ctpA, most were unable to grow at higher copper concentration (>15 mM CuSO₄) and suggested that the copper homeostasis genes located on the large plasmid are associated with tolerance to high levels of copper. Strain DSE955PL, which carries a cutR mutation and is cured of the large plasmid, was the most sensitive (<5 mM CuSO₄). This indicated that proteins encoded by plasmid genes work synergistically to confer tolerance to copper. Of most interest was the fact that a pCT0018 mutant was more sensitive (<15 mM CuSO₄) to high levels of copper than the wild type parent DRDC8 (<20 mM CuSO₄). This suggested that ORF pCT0018 was necessary for copper tolerance. To investigate the effects of insertion mutations in pCT0017, pCT0018 and ctpA on copper uptake and export, the levels of copper accumulated by these strains was assessed using atomic absorption spectroscopy. A significant difference in copper accumulation among the bacteria strains was observed when either LEB or BHI media were used to culture the bacteria. This data suggested that the growth medium chemicals influence the levels of copper accumulated by cells. However, the effect of these media on bacteria growth rates during copper stress was not significant. Atomic absorption analysis of intracellular copper accumulation suggested that DSE955PL and DSE955 (a chromosome mutant) were able to accumulate copper (80 - 110 mg.gˉ¹ dry weight of cells), whereas DRDC8 and strains carrying mutations in pCT0018, ctpA, and strains cured of the large plasmid, were less able to accumulate copper (30 - 70 mg.gˉ¹ dry weight of cells). This data suggested that cutR may encode a copper export system and that ctpA is involved in copper uptake. To investigate the gene expression profile for pCT0018 under elevated copper, reverse transcriptase PCR was used to detect transcripts encoding pCT0017, pCT0018, pCT0019 and pCT0020 from RNA extracted from L. monocytogenes strain DRDC8 following culture at elevated levels of copper. Although transcripts for each of the target genes were detected, transcription was not responsive to copper, nor was the pattern of transcription consistent with that expected for a single operon. To directly determine whether the protein encoded by the pCT0018 open reading frame was able to bind copper, this gene was cloned in pET15b in frame with an N-terminal Histag and expressed in E. coli. The expressed protein was purified with a Ni-NTA column and shown to contain copper. Attempts to directly show that protein pCT0018 could bind copper by Cu-IMAC were unable to unequivocally show that the protein was immobilized on the column. Purified protein was used to raise a polyclonal antiserum in rabbit and the antiserum was used for Western analysis to test expression of pCT0018 by wild type L. monocytogenes DRDC8 and specific gene mutants. Although the antiserum bound to purified protein, it was not possible to demonstrate binding to native pCT0018 in cell lysates prepared from L. monocytogenes DRDC8. SDS-PAGE of cytoplasmic and cell envelope proteins isolated from L. monocytogenes strains was used to identify proteins expressed in response to copper stress and starvation. No significant differences in protein profiles for cytoplasmic protein were observed. However, copper-immobilized metal affinity chromatography (Cu-IMAC) showed that expression of a number of copper binding proteins were differentially expressed by DRDC8 following growth in copper stress and starvation conditions. Three of these proteins were selected for amino sequence analysis by MALDI-TOFF MS. Two were confirmed to be L. monocytogenes non-heme iron-binding ferritin and a thiol peroxidase, both of which bind copper. The other protein was similar to an unknown protein from L. monocytogenes. Interestingly, no proteins directly implicated with the copper homeostasis islet were identified. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1374407 / Thesis (M.Sc.) - University of Adelaide, School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, 2009

For a long time, Roman ideal sculptures have primarily been studied within the tradition of Kopienkritik. Owing to some of the theoretical assumptions tied to this practice, several important aspects of Roman visual culture have been neglected as the overall aim of such research has been to gain new knowledge regarding assumed Classical and Hellenistic models. This thesis is a collection of three studies on Roman ideal sculpture. The articles share three general aims: 1. To show that the practice of Kopienkritik has, so far, not produced convincing interpretations of the sculpture types and motifs discussed. 2. To show that aspects of the methodology tied to the practice of Kopienkritik (thorough examination and comparison of physical forms in sculptures) can, and should, be used to gain insights other than those concerning hypothetical Classical and Hellenistic model images. 3. To present new interpretations of the sculpture types and motifs studied, interpretations which emphasize their role and importance within Roman visual culture. The first article shows that reputed, post-Antique restorations may have an unexpected—and unwanted—impact on the study of ancient sculptures. This is examined by tracing the impact that a restored motif ("Satyrs with cymbals") has had on the study of an ancient sculpture type: the satyr ascribed to the two-figure group "The invitation to the dance". The second article presents and interprets a sculpture type which had previously gone unnoticed—The satyrs of "The Palazzo Massimo-type". The type is interpreted as a variant of "The Marsyas in the forum", a motif that was well known within the Roman cultural context. The third article examines how, and why, two motifs known from Classical models were changed in an eclectic fashion once they had been incorporated into Roman visual culture. The motifs concerned are kalathiskos dancers, which were transformed into Victoriae, and pyrrhic dancers, which were also reinterpreted as mythological figures—the curetes. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Accepted. Paper 3: Accepted.</p>

Sir Alec Jeffreys was the first to describe human identification with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in his seminal work in 1985 (1); the result was the birth of forensic DNA analysis. Since then, DNA has become the primary substance used to conduct human identification testing. Forensic DNA analysis has evolved since the work of Jeffreys and now incorporates the analysis of 15 to 24 STR (short tandem repeat) locations, or loci (2-4). The simultaneous amplification and subsequent electrophoresis of tens of STR polymorphisms results in analysis that are highly discriminating. DNA target masses of 0.5 to 2 nanograms (ng) are sufficient to obtain a full STR profile (4); however, pertinent information can still be obtained if low copy numbers of DNA are collected from the crime scene or evidentiary material (4-9). Despite the sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) - capillary electrophoresis (CE) based technology, low copy DNA signal can be difficult to interpret due to the preponderance of low signal-to-noise ratios. Due to the complicated nature of low template signal, optimization of the DNA laboratory process such that high-fidelity signal is regularly produced is necessary; studies designed to effectively hone in on optimized laboratory conditions are presented herein. The STR regions of a set of samples containing 0.0078 ng of DNA were amplified for 29 cycles; the amplified fragments were separated using two types of CE platforms: an ABI 3130 Genetic Analyzer and an ABI 3500 Genetic Analyzer. The result is a genetic trace, or electropherogram (EPG), comprised of three signal components that include noise, artifact, and allele. The EPGs were analyzed using two peak detection software programs. In addition, a tool, termed Simulating Evidentiary Electropherograms (SEEIt) (10, 11), was utilized to simulate EPG signal obtained when one copy of DNA is processed through the forensic pipeline. SEEIt was parameterized to simulate data corresponding to two laboratory scenarios: the amplification of a single copy of DNA injected on an ABI 3130 Genetic Analyzer and on an ABI 3500 Genetic Analyzer. In total, 20,000 allele peaks and 20,000 noise peaks were generated for each CE platform. Comparison of simulated and experimental data was used to elucidate features that are difficult to ascertain by experimental work alone. The data demonstrate that experimental signal obtained with the ABI 3500 platform results in signal that is, on average, a factor of four larger than signal obtained from the ABI 3130 platform. When a histogram of the signal is plotted, a multi modal distribution is observed. The first mode is hypothesized to be the result of noise, while the second, third, etc. modes are the signal obtained when one, two, etc. target DNA molecules are amplified. By evaluating the data in this way, full signal resolution between noise and allelic signal is visualized. Therefore, this methodology may be used to: 1) optimize post-PCR laboratory conditions to obtain excellent resolution between noise and allelic signal; and 2) determine an analytical threshold (AT) that results in few false detections and few cases of allelic dropout. A χ2 test for independence of the experimental signal in noise positions and the experimental signal within allele positions < 12 relative fluorescence units (RFU), i.e. signal in the noise regime, indicate the populations are not independent when sufficient signal-to-noise resolution is obtained. Once sufficient resolution is achieved, optimized ATs may be acquired by evaluating and minimizing the false negative and false positive detection rates. Here, a false negative is defined as the non-detection of an allele and a false positive is defined as the detection of noise. An AT of 15 RFU was found to be the optimal AT for samples injected on the ABI 3130 for at least 10 seconds (sec) as 99.42% of noise peaks did not exceed this critical value while allelic dropout was kept to a minimum, 36.97%, at this AT. Similarily, in examining signal obtained from the ABI 3500, 99.41% and 99.0% of noise fell under an AT of 50 RFU for data analyzed with GeneMapper ID-X (GM) and OSIRIS (OS), respectively. Allelic dropout was 36.34% and 36.55% for GM and OS, respectively, at this AT.

This diploma thesis is divided into two main parts - the teoretical and practical part. The teoretical part deals with the topic of paraphrase in the classical art, surveys the creation of paraphrases in the context of art evolution from the 16th century to the present time and tries to find the answers to the questions which relate to reasons of their creation. It tries to answer the questions what reason the artist of the paraphrases had and what made the artist create a paraphrase of a piece of art which was made a long time before. The teoretical part is a negligible glossary whose meaning is to show a range of different attitudes. The practical part is focused on authorial paraphrases which were made on the basis of the teoretical part and use different views and approaches to the process which the phenomenon of the paraphrase offers.

Developmental disorders including: autism, intellectual disability, and congenital abnormalities are present in 3-8% of live births and display a huge amount of phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. Traditionally, geneticists have identified individual monogenic diseases among these patients but a majority of patients fail to receive a clinical diagnosis. However, the genomes of these patients frequently harbour large copynumber variants (CNVs) but their interpretation remains challenging. Using pathway analysis I found significant functional associations for 329 individual phenotypes and show that 39% of these could explain the patients’ multiple co-morbid phenotypes; and multiple associated genes clustered within individual CNVs. I showed there was significantly more such clustering than expected by chance. In addition, the presence of a multiple functionally-related genes is a significant predictor of CNV pathogenicity beyond the presence of known disease genes and size of the CNV. This clustering of functionally-related genes was part of a broader pattern of functional clusters across the human genome. These genome-wide functional clusters showed tissuespecific expression and some evidence of chromatin-domain level regulation. Furthermore, many genome-wide functional clusters were enriched in segmental duplications making them prone to CNV-causing mutations and were frequently seen disrupted in healthy individuals. However, the majority of the time a pathogenic CNV affected the entire functional cluster, where as benign CNVs tended to affect only one or two genes. I also showed that patients with CNVs affecting the same functional cluster are significantly more phenotypically similar to each other than expected even if their CNVs do not affect any of the same genes. Lastly, I considered one of the major limitations in pathway analysis, namely ascertainment biases in functional information due to the prioritization of genes linked to human disease, and show how the modular nature of gene-networks can be used to identify and prioritize understudied genes.

O estado do Rio Grande do Sul possui as maiores jazidas de ágata de que se tem conhecimento. Este material gemológico é utilizado para uma gama abrangente de aplicações em joalheria e produtos e neste formato pode elevar significativamente o seu valor de mercado. Cerca de 80% da produção de ágata é destinada à exportação, principalmente para a China e a Alemanha. O centro de beneficiamento de ágata no Brasil, que detém a maior concentração de empresas, está localizado na região de Soledade, no Rio Grande do Sul. Este município é conhecido mundialmente como polo industrial de “pedras preciosas”. Porém as tecnologias de beneficiamento de ágata das indústrias locais são bastante limitadas e com pouca inovação, sendo que o trabalho tem maior foco na comercialização direta, ou seja, em bruto, e em alguns produtos manufaturados de baixa complexidade tecnológica. Esta pesquisa trata da produção de camafeus, que são pequenas esculturas feitas normalmente em ágata e que são utilizadas na forma de broches e adornos, que em composição com ouro e prata podem se transformar em produtos de joalheria. Para tal, é proposto o desenvolvimento de um protótipo de equipamento para a confecção de camafeus, por um sistema de cópia, sendo uma adaptação de uma fresadora pantográfica. Esse protótipo foi projetado para ser utilizado pelos pequenos produtores soledadenses, que contabilizam cerca de 150 empresas cadastradas na APPESOL (Associação dos Pequenos Pedristas de Soledade). A proposta é de uma alternativa técnica de baixo custo para a criação de produtos de alto valor agregado e a inserção de esculturas em ágata feitas no Brasil no mercado interno e externo. A copiadora de camafeus faz uso de ferramentas diamantadas e copia um modelo produzido em outro material. Ensaios iniciais apontam que camafeus em ágata podem ser executados com esta técnica, porém há a possibilidade de inúmeros materiais gemológicos serem beneficiados também. / The state of Rio Grande do Sul has the biggest agate deposits, this gemological material is used for a wide range of applications in jewelry and products, increasing significantly its value on the market. About 80% of agate production is exported mainly to China and Germany. The agate processing center in Brazil which holds the largest concentration of companies is located in Soledade, Rio Grande do Sul. This municipality is known worldwide as the gems industrial center. However, the processing technology of the local companies are quite limited, with little innovation, whereas being focused on the direct marketing, in other words, in the raw state, and in some manufactured products with low technological complexity. This research is about the cameo production, which are small sculptures usually made of agate and used in the form of brooches and ornaments, that in composition with gold and silver turn into jewels. In order to achieve this is through the development of an mechanism prototype to produce the cameos, using a copying system by adapting a pantograph milling machine. This prototype was designed to be used by small producers which account for 150 companies registered at APPESOL (Small Gems Producers Association of Soledade). The proposal is a low – cost alternative technique for creating products and insertion of agate sculptures produced in Brazil’s national and international markets. The cameo copy machine makes use of diamond tools, that copies from a model made of different material. Initial tests show that agate cameos can be produced using this technique and other gemological materials can use this technique as well.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:22:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-04-15Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:28:54Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 menezes_fc_me_ia.pdf: 2705304 bytes, checksum: 55997f6473b52e2018e9c3bc05a88638 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O presente trabalho discute o processo de aprendizagem do desenho a mão livre e, particularmente, a construção de linguagens pessoais nessa forma de expressão. Entrevistas realizadas com dez desenhistas e a leitura de textos relacionados com o desenho e seu aprendizado dão a base para ensaios reflexivos, que propõem um olhar para esse aprendizado como experiência pessoal de cada sujeito, mas com possíveis referências para a compreensão das formas gerais de aprendizado do desenho, bem como de sua pedagogia. Além da introdução e das notas finais, a dissertação tem cinco partes, tratando de temas como a relação entre desenho e corpo, o aprendizado por meio da cópia de desenhos, o prazer na construção pessoal de linguagens e o lugar possível da técnica no ensino do desenho com considerações sobre a pedagogia do desenho e a sistematização do processo de desenvolvimento do autor como professor de turmas de desenho a mão livre. / The present work discusses the process of learning of free hand drawing and, particularly, the construction of personal languages in this form of expression. Interviews made with ten drawers and the reading of texts related to the drawing and its learning are the base upon which reflective essays are made, that propose a look at this learning as a personal experience of each individual person, but with possible references for the understanding of general ways of learning to draw as well as of its pedagogy. Besides the introduction e the final notes, this master dissertation has five parts dealing with questions as the relation between drawing and body, the learning by means of the copy of drawings, the pleasure in the personal construction of languages and the possible role of techniques in the teaching of drawing, with considerations on drawing pedagogy and a systematization of the process of development of the author as a teacher of classes of free hand drawing.

Orientador: Luiza Helena Christov / Banca: Rosa Iavelberg / Banca: Rejane Galvão Coutinho / Resumo: O presente trabalho discute o processo de aprendizagem do desenho a mão livre e, particularmente, a construção de linguagens pessoais nessa forma de expressão. Entrevistas realizadas com dez desenhistas e a leitura de textos relacionados com o desenho e seu aprendizado dão a base para ensaios reflexivos, que propõem um olhar para esse aprendizado como experiência pessoal de cada sujeito, mas com possíveis referências para a compreensão das formas gerais de aprendizado do desenho, bem como de sua pedagogia. Além da introdução e das notas finais, a dissertação tem cinco partes, tratando de temas como a relação entre desenho e corpo, o aprendizado por meio da cópia de desenhos, o prazer na construção pessoal de linguagens e o lugar possível da técnica no ensino do desenho com considerações sobre a pedagogia do desenho e a sistematização do processo de desenvolvimento do autor como professor de turmas de desenho a mão livre. / Abstract: The present work discusses the process of learning of free hand drawing and, particularly, the construction of personal languages in this form of expression. Interviews made with ten drawers and the reading of texts related to the drawing and its learning are the base upon which reflective essays are made, that propose a look at this learning as a personal experience of each individual person, but with possible references for the understanding of general ways of learning to draw as well as of its pedagogy. Besides the introduction e the final notes, this master dissertation has five parts dealing with questions as the relation between drawing and body, the learning by means of the copy of drawings, the pleasure in the personal construction of languages and the possible role of techniques in the teaching of drawing, with considerations on drawing pedagogy and a systematization of the process of development of the author as a teacher of classes of free hand drawing. / Mestre

O estado do Rio Grande do Sul possui as maiores jazidas de ágata de que se tem conhecimento. Este material gemológico é utilizado para uma gama abrangente de aplicações em joalheria e produtos e neste formato pode elevar significativamente o seu valor de mercado. Cerca de 80% da produção de ágata é destinada à exportação, principalmente para a China e a Alemanha. O centro de beneficiamento de ágata no Brasil, que detém a maior concentração de empresas, está localizado na região de Soledade, no Rio Grande do Sul. Este município é conhecido mundialmente como polo industrial de “pedras preciosas”. Porém as tecnologias de beneficiamento de ágata das indústrias locais são bastante limitadas e com pouca inovação, sendo que o trabalho tem maior foco na comercialização direta, ou seja, em bruto, e em alguns produtos manufaturados de baixa complexidade tecnológica. Esta pesquisa trata da produção de camafeus, que são pequenas esculturas feitas normalmente em ágata e que são utilizadas na forma de broches e adornos, que em composição com ouro e prata podem se transformar em produtos de joalheria. Para tal, é proposto o desenvolvimento de um protótipo de equipamento para a confecção de camafeus, por um sistema de cópia, sendo uma adaptação de uma fresadora pantográfica. Esse protótipo foi projetado para ser utilizado pelos pequenos produtores soledadenses, que contabilizam cerca de 150 empresas cadastradas na APPESOL (Associação dos Pequenos Pedristas de Soledade). A proposta é de uma alternativa técnica de baixo custo para a criação de produtos de alto valor agregado e a inserção de esculturas em ágata feitas no Brasil no mercado interno e externo. A copiadora de camafeus faz uso de ferramentas diamantadas e copia um modelo produzido em outro material. Ensaios iniciais apontam que camafeus em ágata podem ser executados com esta técnica, porém há a possibilidade de inúmeros materiais gemológicos serem beneficiados também. / The state of Rio Grande do Sul has the biggest agate deposits, this gemological material is used for a wide range of applications in jewelry and products, increasing significantly its value on the market. About 80% of agate production is exported mainly to China and Germany. The agate processing center in Brazil which holds the largest concentration of companies is located in Soledade, Rio Grande do Sul. This municipality is known worldwide as the gems industrial center. However, the processing technology of the local companies are quite limited, with little innovation, whereas being focused on the direct marketing, in other words, in the raw state, and in some manufactured products with low technological complexity. This research is about the cameo production, which are small sculptures usually made of agate and used in the form of brooches and ornaments, that in composition with gold and silver turn into jewels. In order to achieve this is through the development of an mechanism prototype to produce the cameos, using a copying system by adapting a pantograph milling machine. This prototype was designed to be used by small producers which account for 150 companies registered at APPESOL (Small Gems Producers Association of Soledade). The proposal is a low – cost alternative technique for creating products and insertion of agate sculptures produced in Brazil’s national and international markets. The cameo copy machine makes use of diamond tools, that copies from a model made of different material. Initial tests show that agate cameos can be produced using this technique and other gemological materials can use this technique as well.