Modelling the Effect of Temperature on Respiration Rate of Fresh Cut Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Fruits.

A respiration rate (RR) model based on Peleg’s equation was developed for predicting RRs of fresh cut papaya. Respiration data for fresh cut papaya at 3/4 maturity were generated at temperatures 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C using a closed system. RRs was found to be significantly influenced by storage temperature and increased from 0.021 to 0.289 mL[O2]/kg·h and 0.063 to 0.393 mL[CO2]/kg·h as a function of O2 and CO2 gas concentrations, respectively. Peleg’s constant K 1 and K 2 were obtained from linear regression analysis using GraphPad Prism 5.0 software and regression coefficients have good fit with values close to unity. The model was verified to assess the capability of its predictability of the RRs over the temperatures. There was good agreement with the experimentally estimated RRs. Information derived from the model can contribute in the design of successful modified atmospheric systems for storage of fresh cut papaya

Análise comparativa da função respiratória de indivíduos hígidos em solo e na água

A mensuração da função respiratória oferece informações essenciais para caracterizar anormalidades pulmonares. A pressão hidrostática da água atua no tórax submerso de diversas formas, causando alterações no sistema respiratório. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar comparativamente variáveis que avaliam a função respiratória - volume minuto (Vmin), volume corrente (Vc), capacidade vital (Cvital) e frequência respiratória (FR) - de voluntárias no solo e com o tórax submerso em piscina terapêutica aquecida. A função respiratória de 30 voluntárias saudáveis (20,9±2,1 anos; 1,64±0,07 m; 58,8±9,2 kg; índice de massa corporal 21,78±2,63 kg/m²) foi avaliada por meio de ventilômetro em solo e aos 1 e 20 minutos de imersão, com água ao nível dos ombros, em posição sentada. Após 20 minutos de imersão, foi registrado aumento estatisticamente significativo no Vmin (p=0,015) e Vc (p=0,027); e uma redução estatisticamente significativa (p=0,016) na Cvital 1 minuto após imersão, em relação aos valores obtidos em solo. O maior tempo de imersão alterou assim os valores obtidos em solo, com exceção da Cvital, que sofreu alteração significativa desde o primeiro minuto de imersão. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre os valores obtidos após 1 e 20 minutos na água. O estudo permite concluir que a imersão do tórax em piscina aquecida provocou aumento no Vmin e Vc e diminuição na Cvital de voluntárias saudáveis.Measuring respiratory function provides essential information to assess pulmonary changes. Effects of water hydrostatic pressure on the submerged chest cause changes in the respiratory system. The purpose here was to compare respiratory function variables - minute volume (MV), tidal volume (TV), vital capacity (Vitalc), and respiratory rate (RR) - on the ground and with chest submerged in water. Respiratory function of 30 healthy female volunteers (mean age 20.93 ± 2.11; weight 58.8±9.2 kg; body mass index 21.78±2.63 kg/m²) was assessed by spirometry on the ground, and 1 and 20 minutes after immersion in warm water at shoulder level in the sitting position. As compared to ground levels, statistically significant increases were found in MV (p=0.015) and TV (p=0.027) 20 minutes after immersion, as well as a significant decrease (p=0.016) in Vitalc one minute after immersion. Longer time immersion has thus altered values obtained on ground, except for Vitalc, which showed significant reduction on the first minute after chest immersion. Comparison between variable values obtained 1 and 20 minutes in water showed no significant difference. It may thus be said that chest submersion in warm water caused an increase in MV and VT and a decrease in Vitalc of healthy subjects

Inferring the Population Expansions in Peopling of Japan

Background: Extensive studies in different fields have been performed to reconstruct the prehistory of populations in the Japanese archipelago. Estimates the ancestral population dynamics based on Japanese molecular sequences can extend our understanding about the colonization of Japan and the ethnogenesis of modern Japanese. Methodology/Principal Findings: We applied Bayesian skyline plot (BSP) with a dataset based on 952 Japanese mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genomes to depict the female effective population size (Nef) through time for the total Japanese and each of the major mtDNA haplogroups in Japanese. Our results revealed a rapid N ef growth since,5 thousand years ago had left,72 % Japanese mtDNA lineages with a salient signature. The BSP for the major mtDNA haplogroups indicated some different demographic history. Conclusions/Significance: The results suggested that the rapid population expansion acted as a major force in shaping current maternal pool of Japanese. It supported a model for population dynamics in Japan in which the prehistoric population growth initiated in the Middle Jomon Period experienced a smooth and swift transition from Jomon to Yayoi, and then continued through the Yayoi Period. The confounding demographic backgrounds of different mtDN

Impact of cancer and chemotherapy on autonomic nervous system function and cardiovascular reactivity in young adults with cancer: a case-controlled feasibility study

Background Preliminary evidence suggests cancer- and chemotherapy-related autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction may contribute to the increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity- and mortality-risks in cancer survivors. However, the reliability of these findings may have been jeopardized by inconsistent participant screening and assessment methods. Therefore, good laboratory practices must be established before the presence and nature of cancer-related autonomic dysfunction can be characterized. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of conducting concurrent ANS and cardiovascular evaluations in young adult cancer patients, according to the following criteria: i) identifying methodological pitfalls and proposing good laboratory practice criteria for ANS testing in cancer, and ii) providing initial physiologic evidence of autonomic perturbations in cancer patients using the composite autonomic scoring scale (CASS). Methods Thirteen patients (mixed diagnoses) were assessed immediately before and after 4 cycles of chemotherapy. Their results were compared to 12 sex- and age-matched controls. ANS function was assessed using standardized tests of resting CV (tilt-table, respiratory sinus arrhythmia and Valsalva maneuver) and sudomotor (quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test) reactivity. Cardiovascular reactivity during exercise was assessed using a modified Astrand-Ryhming cycle ergometer protocol. Our feasibility criteria addressed: i) recruitment potential, ii) retention rates, iii) pre-chemotherapy assessment potential, iv) test performance/tolerability, and v) identification and minimizing the influence of potentially confounding medication. T-tests and repeated measures ANOVAs were used to assess between- and within-group differences at baseline and follow-up. Results The overall success rate in achieving our feasibility criteria was 98.4 %. According to the CASS, there was evidence of ANS impairment at baseline in 30.8 % of patients, which persisted in 18.2 % of patients at follow-up, compared to 0 % of controls at baseline or follow-up. Conclusions Results from our feasibility assessment suggest that the investigation of ANS function in young adult cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy is possible. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report CASS-based evidence of ANS impairment and sudomotor dysfunction in any cancer population. Moreover, we provide evidence of cancer- and chemotherapy-related parasympathetic dysfunction – as a possible contributor to the pathogenesis of CV disease in cancer survivors