Produção orgânica de calêndula: um estudo de caso.

Apresenta-se caracterização do processo de produção agrícola orgânica de Calendula officinalis L. no Estado de Santa Catarina, evidenciando particularidades e discrepâncias frente aos modelos já descritos na literatura especializada, a partir de visitas a campo, observação participante e entrevistas com um produtor de plantas medicinais. Identificaram-se como principais particularidades a saúde na agricultura familiar, demonstrada pela prática da cultura orgânica, além do controle de pragas e manuseio da produção. Os principais problemas ou divergências evidenciados foram: características do solo; época de plantio da calêndula e suas etapas posteriores, como transplante e floração. Aspectos da colheita foram discrepantes quanto ao período do dia indicado para o procedimento, bem como a ausência de informações do produtor quanto à existência de outros incentivos governamentais ao setor agrícola. Recomenda-se aos extensionistas rurais e/ou instituições competentes que busquem orientar os produtores orgânicos de calêndula para promover a adequação das práticas de cultivo dessa espécie medicinal

Do master narratives change among High School Students?: a characterization of how national history is represented

Master narratives frame students’ historical knowledge, possibly hindering access to more historical representations. A detailed analysis of students’ historical narratives about the origins of their own nation is presented in terms of four master narrative characteristics related to the historical subject, national identification, the main theme and the nation concept. The narratives of Argentine 8th and 11th graders were analyzed to establish whether a change toward a more complex historical account occurred. The results show that the past is mostly understood in master narrative terms but in the 11th grade narratives demonstrate a more historical understanding. Only identification appears to be fairly constant across years of history learning. The results suggest that in history education first aiming at a constructivist concept of nation and then using the concept to reflect on the national historical subject and events in the narrative might help produce historical understanding of a national past.This article was written with the support of projects EDU-2010-17725 (DGICYT, Spain) and PICT-2008-1217 (ANPCYT, Argentina), coordinated by the first author. We are grateful for that support

Whole genome sequence association analysis of fasting glucose and fasting insulin levels in diverse cohorts from the NHLBI TOPMed program

The genetic determinants of fasting glucose (FG) and fasting insulin (FI) have been studied mostly through genome arrays, resulting in over 100 associated variants. We extended this work with high-coverage whole genome sequencing analyses from fifteen cohorts in NHLBI’s Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program. Over 23,000 non-diabetic individuals from five race-ethnicities/populations (African, Asian, European, Hispanic and Samoan) were included. Eight variants were significantly associated with FG or FI across previously identified regions MTNR1B, G6PC2, GCK, GCKR and FOXA2. We additionally characterize suggestive associations with FG or FI near previously identified SLC30A8, TCF7L2, and ADCY5 regions as well as APOB, PTPRT, and ROBO1. Functional annotation resources including the Diabetes Epigenome Atlas were compiled for each signal (chromatin states, annotation principal components, and others) to elucidate variant-to-function hypotheses. We provide a catalog of nucleotide-resolution genomic variation spanning intergenic and intronic regions creating a foundation for future sequencing-based investigations of glycemic traits

The trans-ancestral genomic architecture of glycemic traits

Glycemic traits are used to diagnose and monitor type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic health. To date, most genetic studies of glycemic traits have focused on individuals of European ancestry. Here we aggregated genome-wide association studies comprising up to 281,416 individuals without diabetes (30% non-European ancestry) for whom fasting glucose, 2-h glucose after an oral glucose challenge, glycated hemoglobin and fasting insulin data were available. Trans-ancestry and single-ancestry meta-analyses identified 242 loci (99 novel; P < 5 x 10(-8)), 80% of which had no significant evidence of between-ancestry heterogeneity. Analyses restricted to individuals of European ancestry with equivalent sample size would have led to 24 fewer new loci. Compared with single-ancestry analyses, equivalent-sized trans-ancestry fine-mapping reduced the number of estimated variants in 99% credible sets by a median of 37.5%. Genomic-feature, gene-expression and gene-set analyses revealed distinct biological signatures for each trait, highlighting different underlying biological pathways. Our results increase our understanding of diabetes pathophysiology by using trans-ancestry studies for improved power and resolution.A trans-ancestry meta-analysis of GWAS of glycemic traits in up to 281,416 individuals identifies 99 novel loci, of which one quarter was found due to the multi-ancestry approach, which also improves fine-mapping of credible variant sets.Diabetes mellitus: pathophysiological changes and therap

Dose de inoculante turfoso para soja em plantio direto Dose of peat inoculant for soybean under no-tillage

Embora a inoculação na cultura da soja seja uma prática amplamente difundida, ainda não há um consenso sobre a quantidade de inoculante turfoso a utilizar-se em plantio direto. Enquanto no Paraná a quantidade recomendada é de 500g de inoculante para 50kg de sementes, no Rio Grande do Sul e Santa Catarina é de 200g, o que evidencia a necessidade de se intensificar as pesquisas nessa área. O trabalho foi realizado, na safra 1994/95, em área conduzida há cinco anos no sistema plantio direto, em Cruz Alta, RS, com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito da dose de inoculante turfoso na soja em plantio direto. Os tratamentos foram: testemunha sem inoculação, doses de 250, 500, 750 e 1000g de inoculante por 50kg de semente e um tratamento com 200kg de N/ha, parcelados, sem inoculação. Não houve diferenças entre a testemunha sem inoculação e as doses de inoculante para número e peso de nódulos, massa seca da parte aérea, massa seca de raízes, altura de planta e teor de N na folha. O tratamento com N mineral apresentou menor número e peso de nódulos e maior produção de matéria seca da parte aérea, porém, neste último parâmetro, não diferiu da testemunha sem inoculação, 250 e 500g de inoculante. Com a aplicação de N mineral, a altura de planta foi significativamente superior à testemunha e às doses de inoculante. Não houve efeito positivo da inoculação sobre o rendimento de grãos, já que este não diferiu significativamente entre as doses de inoculante e a testemunha sem inoculação. Estes resultados indicam não haver justificativa para o uso de inoculante em áreas a partir de cinco anos de plantio direto.<br>Inoculation in the soybean crop is a practice widely adopted all over the world. Despite of this fact, so far researchers have not come to a agreement regarding the amount of peat inoculant to be used under the no-tillage cultivation system. While in Paraná State the recommended amount is of 500g of inoculant for 50kg of seeds, in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina States this recommendation is of 200g, what brings into evidence the need to intensify research in this particular area. This study was carried out in the 1994/95 cropping season, in an area cultivated under the no-tillage system for five years, in Cruz Alta, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, aiming at evaluating the effect of the peat inoculant dose on soybean under no-tillage. The treatments used were: check without inoculation, inoculant dosis of 250, 500, 750 and 1000g for 50kg of seeds and a treatment with 200kg of N/ha, applied in parcels, without inoculation. There was no difference between the check plots without inoculation and inoculant dosis for number and weight of nodules, dry matter of the plant shoots, dry matter of the roots, plant height and N content in the leaf. The treatment with mineral nitrogen showed a smaller number and weight of nodules and higher production of dry matter of the plant shoots, but this last parameter did not differ from the treatments: check without inoculation, 250 and 500g of inoculant. With mineral N application, plant height was significantly higher than the check and the inoculant dosis treatments. There was no positive effect of the inoculant on grain yield. These results led us to conclude that there is no need to use inoculant in areas after five years under the no-tillage cultivation system