Cognitive approaches and optical multispectral data for semi-automated classification of landforms in a rugged mountainous area

This paper introduces a new open source, knowledge-based framework for automatic interpretation of remote sensing images, called InterIMAGE. This framework owns a flexible modular architecture, in which image processing operators can be associated to both root and leaf nodes of the semantic network, which constitutes a differential strategy in comparison to other object-based image analysis platforms currently available. The architecture, main features as well as an overview on the interpretation strategy implemented in InterIMAGE is presented. The paper also reports an experiment on the classification of landforms. Different geomorphometric and textural attributes obtained from ASTER/Terra images were combined with fuzzy logic and drove the interpretation semantic network. Object-based statistical agreement indices, estimated from a comparison between the classified scene and a reference map, were used to assess the classification accuracy. The InterIMAGE interpretation strategy yielded a classification result with strong agreement and proved to be effective for the extraction of landforms

The Use Of Various Strains Of Rhizobium Tropici For Inoculation Of Snap Bean Cultivars With A Determinate Growth Pattern

The snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an economically important vegetable in Brazil. Bean plants can establish symbiotic associations with bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen. These associations show specificity of host plants to certain bacteria. Nitrogen fertilization constitutes a crop production cost, and the use of Rhizobium inoculation to supply nitrogen to crops may decrease the production costs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of inoculation of three different snap bean cultivars with three Rhizobium tropici strains on agronomical performance of the plant. A completely randomized experimental design was used, with a 3 × 5 factorial scheme and four replicates per treatment. The factors tested were three snap bean cultivars (UEL 1, Alessa, and UEL 2), and five types of inoculation (uninoculated control, inoculation with SEMIA 4077, SEMIA 4080, SEMIA 4088, or with a mix of the three strains). The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse. Plant height, stem diameter, pod length, the number of pods per plant, and average weight and yield of commercial-grade pods, were determined. An analysis of variance was conducted using the F test, followed by Tukey's test (p < 0.05). Inoculation had a positive effect on all the parameters quantified. The beneficial effect was more pronounced in plants inoculated with the mix of Rhizobium strains.3763965397

Enhancement of antibiotic activity by Cordia verbenacea DC

Escherichia coli is known to produce enterotoxins whose properties and its role in diarrheal disease has been extensively investigated. Some species of Staphylococcus are often recognized as etiological agents of many animal and human opportunistic infections. This study is the first test of change in resistance of antibiotic activity by Cordia verbenacea DC. against multiresistant strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In this study, the hexane and methanol extract of Cordia verbenacea DC. were tested for antibacterial activity alone and in combination with aminoglycosides against bacterial strains. The synergy of the methanolic and hexane were verified by microdilution method. A synergistic effect of both extracts combined with the aminoglycosides was demonstrated. It is therefore suggested that the extracts from Cordia verbenacea DC. could be used as a source of natural products derived from this plant with resistance-modifying antibacterial activity, providing a new weapon against the problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Enhancement of antibiotic activity by Cordia verbenacea DC

Escherichia coli is known to produce enterotoxins whose properties and its role in diarrheal disease has been extensively investigated. Some species of Staphylococcus are often recognized as etiological agents of many animal and human opportunistic infections. This study is the first test of change in resistance of antibiotic activity by Cordia verbenacea DC. against multiresistant strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In this study, the hexane and methanol extract of Cordia verbenacea DC. were tested for antibacterial activity alone and in combination with aminoglycosides against bacterial strains. The synergy of the methanolic and hexane were verified by microdilution method. A synergistic effect of both extracts combined with the aminoglycosides was demonstrated. It is therefore suggested that the extracts from Cordia verbenacea DC. could be used as a source of natural products derived from this plant with resistance-modifying antibacterial activity, providing a new weapon against the problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Key endothelial cell angiogenic mechanisms are stimulated by the circulating milieu in sickle cell disease and attenuated by hydroxyurea

As hypoxia-induced inflammatory angiogenesis may contribute to sickle cell disease manifestations, we compared the angiogenic molecular profiles of plasma from sickle cell disease individuals and correlated these with in vitro endothelial cell-mediated angiogenesis-stimulating activity and in vivo neovascularization. Bioplex demonstrated that plasma from steady-state sickle cell anemia patients presented elevated concentrations of pro-angiogenic factors (Angiopoietin-1, basic fibroblast growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor-D and placental growth factor) and displayed potent pro-angiogenic activity, significantly augmenting endothelial cell proliferation, migration and capillary-like structure formation. In vivo neovascularization of Matrigel plugs was significantly greater in sickle cell disease mice, compared with non-sickle cell disease mice, consistent with an upregulation of angiogenesis in the disease. In plasma from patients with hemoglobin SC disease without proliferative retinopathy, anti-angiogenic endostatin and thrombospondin-2 were significantly elevated. In contrast, plasma from hemoglobin SC individuals with proliferative retinopathy displayed a pro-angiogenic profile and had more significant effects on endothelial cell proliferation and capillary formation than plasma of patients without retinopathy. Hydroxyurea therapy was associated with significant reductions in plasma angiogenic factor profile, in association with an inhibition of endothelial cell-mediated angiogenic mechanisms and neovascularization. Thus, sickle cell anemia and retinopathic hemoglobin SC individuals present a highly angiogenic circulating milieu, capable of stimulating key endothelial cell-mediated angiogenic mechanisms. Combination anti-angiogenic therapy for preventing progression of unregulated neovascularization and associated manifestations in sickle cell disease, such as pulmonary hypertension, may be indicated; furthermore, the benefits and drawbacks of the potent anti-angiogenic effects of hydroxyurea should be clarified.As hypoxia-induced inflammatory angiogenesis may contribute to sickle cell disease manifestations, we compared the angiogenic molecular profiles of plasma from sickle cell disease individuals and correlated these with in vitro endothelial cell-mediated an1006730739FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO2008/57441-0; 2009/16334-0565036/201

Essential oil from Ageratum fastigiatum reduces expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha in peripheral blood leukocytes subjected to in vitro stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate

AbstractAgeratum fastigiatum (Gardner) R.M. King & H. Rob., a member of the Asteraceae family popularly known in Brazil as “matapasto”, is indicated in folk medicine as anti-inflammatory and analgesic. Despite its popular use, little is known about its potential effect on the parameters involved in an inflammatory response. The objective of this study was to characterize the chemical composition of the essential oil from A. fastigiatum and to evaluate the frequency of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interferon gamma producing cells in peripheral blood lymphocytes stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate in the presence of essential oil from A. fastigiatum. Non-toxic concentrations of essential oil from A. fastigiatum were evaluated in cultures of peripheral blood leucocytes using the trypan blue exclusion assay by flow cytometry. GC–MS analysis revealed that the prevalent compounds identified in the essential oil from A. fastigiatum sample were α-pinene, limonene, trans-caryophyllene, α-humulene, caryophyllene oxide, 1,2-humulene-epoxide, 1,6-humulanodien-3-ol, and α-cadinol. Results showed that exposure to essential oil from A. fastigiatum at concentrations of 0.5×10−2 and 1×10−2μl/ml caused no alterations in leukocyte viability as compared to the control group. Both concentrations lowered the percentage of tumor necrosis factor alpha (+)-lymphocytes and neutrophils. There were no changes in the percentage of lymphocytes positive for the interferon gamma cytokine. Our results suggest that part of the anti-inflammatory activity attributed to A. fastigiatum may be due to the effect of some of its components in decreasing the number of cells that produce the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha

Transverse Ising Model: Markovian evolution of classical and quantum correlations under decoherence

The transverse Ising Model (TIM) in one dimension is the simplest model which exhibits a quantum phase transition (QPT). Quantities related to quantum information theoretic measures like entanglement, quantum discord (QD) and fidelity are known to provide signatures of QPTs. The issue is less well explored when the quantum system is subjected to decoherence due to its interaction, represented by a quantum channel, with an environment. In this paper we study the dynamics of the mutual information $I(\rho_{AB})$, the classical correlations $C(\rho_{AB})$ and the quantum correlations $Q(\rho_{AB})$, as measured by the QD, in a two-qubit state the density matrix of which is the reduced density matrix obtained from the ground state of the TIM in 1d. The time evolution brought about by system-environment interactions is assumed to be Markovian in nature and the quantum channels considered are amplitude damping, bit-flip, phase-flip and bit-phase-flip. Each quantum channel is shown to be distinguished by a specific type of dynamics. In the case of the phase-flip channel, there is a finite time interval in which the quantum correlations are larger in magnitude than the classical correlations. For this channel as well as the bit-phase-flip channel, appropriate quantities associated with the dynamics of the correlations can be derived which signal the occurrence of a QPT.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, revtex4-1, version accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J.

Ganho genético em soja no estado do Paraná, via melhoramento.

The efficiency of the soybean breeding program of Paraná, Brazil, was evaluated using data already available from the yield tests incorporated in the routine of the program. Data from the soybean official trials of 1981 to 1986, early and semi-early maturity groups were uscd. The realized genetic gains were 1.8% and 1.3% for the early and semi-early genotypes, respectively. These two maturity groups correspond to approximately 70% of all soybean grown in the State. The results indicate that data already available from the line testing procedures enable the breeders to evaluate the genetic progress of their program. The gains show that the breeding efforts towards better yelding and adapted cultivars have produced satisfactory results.Uma avaliação da eficiência do programa de melhoramento genético de soja no Paraná no período de 1981 a 1986 é realizada utilizando-se dados comumente obtidos nos testes de avaliação de linhagens da rede oficial de experimentação. Os dados foram obtidos no Ensaio Intermediário de Linhagens de Soja, constituído de grupos de maturação precoce e semi-precoce. Os ganhos genéticos obtidos foram de 1,8% e 1,3% para os genótipos de maturação precoce e semi-precoce, respectivamente. Os dois grupos de maturação englobam aproximadamente 70% de todo o material cultivado no Estado. Os resultados indicam que é possível estimar o progresso genético utilizando informações disponíveis na rotina de avaliação de linhagens. Os ganhos genéticos obtidos mostram que os esforços empreendidos na busca de cultivares adaptadas e produtivas têm produzido resultados satisfatórios

Enhancement of antibiotic activity by Cordia verbenacea DC

Escherichia coli is known to produce enterotoxins whose properties and its role in diarrheal disease has been extensively investigated. Some species of Staphylococcus are often recognized as etiological agents of many animal and human opportunistic infections. This study is the first test of change in resistance of antibiotic activity by Cordia verbenacea DC. against multiresistant strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In this study, the hexane and methanol extract of Cordia verbenacea DC. were tested for antibacterial activity alone and in combination with aminoglycosides against bacterial strains. The synergy of the methanolic and hexane were verified by microdilution method. A synergistic effect of both extracts combined with the aminoglycosides was demonstrated. It is therefore suggested that the extracts from Cordia verbenacea DC. could be used as a source of natural products derived from this plant with resistance-modifying antibacterial activity, providing a new weapon against the problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

ATIVIDADE ANTIFÚNGICA DE EXTRATOS VEGETAIS E ANIMAIS DA REGIÃO DO CARIRI

Fungos dermatofíticos são patógenos oportunistas, cujos agentes etiológicos pertencem aos gêneros Trichophyton, Microsporum e Epidermophyton. O gênero Trichophyton é composto por diversas espécies, dentre as quais Trichophyton rubrum se destaca pela frequência com que é isolado, podendo produzir praticamente todos os quadros clínicos de dermatofitose. Suas características principais são a tendência à cronicidade e a resistência aos tratamentos convencionais. Este estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito antifúngico através da técnica de diluição em HIA de extratos de Croton campestris A., Ocimum gratissimum L. e produtos naturais de Rhinella jimi. Os extratos de C. campestris e O. gratissimum demonstraram atividade antifúngica, assim como os extratos, frações e solução de R. jimi, com exceção da fração hexânica do extrato metanólico. Estes resultados indicam que os organismos testados devem ser estudados como uma possível fonte de produtos naturais com atividade antifúngica, principalmente contra dermatófitos