Winter sowing and higher populations as dry-farming strategies on sunflower crop (Helianthus annuus L.)

Sunflower is sown in early spring (March-April) under Mediterranean dryland conditions. Plant development is coincidental with increasing air temperature and crop ET and usually reproduction occurs under water and temperature stresses, resulting in severe yield limitations (Downes 1975, Carvalho et al 1990, 1991). As a strategy of stress avoidance during the reproductive stages winter sowing (late December and January) has been successfully tested (Vesperinas et al 1991, Ordonez 1990). This experiment tested the potential advantage in anticipating sowing date to late December or January, and in increasing plant population in order to use soil water more efficiently

Partial replacement of chemical fertilizers with animal manures in an apple orchard: Effects on crop performance and soil fertility

The combined use of chemical fertilisers with organic materials in crop fertilization is an essential approach to transition towards a more sustainable and resilient agriculture in Europe. In an apple orchard, chemical fertilisers (CF) were partially (25 to 57%) replaced with animal manure (cattle slurry - CS, acidified cattle slurry - ACS, cattle solid manure - CsM, and poultry manure - PM), based on the crop’s nitrogen (N) requirements. Apple production and soil properties were monitored during a 3-year experiment. At the end of the third year, leaf N was higher in the control treatment (CTRL, 100% CF). Apple production was, on average, higher in the CS treatment, although not significantly different from the CTRL. Fruit analysis showed that replacing CF with animal manures did not significantly impacted fruit quality (weight, ºBrix and firmness). Soil organic carbon (SOC), N and exchangeable potassium (K+) were significantly higher in the manure treatments. The increase in soil K+ in the manure treatments consequently increased soil K/magnesium (Mg) ratio, slightly mitigating K and Mg antagonism, as seen by the increase in fruit K. However, K content was still deficient in fruits and leaves in all treatments. It can be concluded that the partial replacement of chemical fertilisers by animal manures (CS, ACS and PM) had a positive effect on soil health with no decrease of apple production.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessing the contribution of ECa and NDVI in the delineation of management zones in a vineyard

Precision fertilization implies the need to identify the variability of soil fertility, which is costly and time-consuming. Remotely measured data can be a solution. Using this strategy, a study was conducted, in a vineyard, to delineate different management zones using two indicators: apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). To understand the contribution of each indicator, three scenarios were used for zone definition: (1) using only NDVI, (2) only ECa, or (3) using a combination of the two. Then the differences in soil fertility between these zones were assessed using simple statistical methods. The results indicate that the most beneficial strategy is the combined use of the two indicators, as it allowed the definition of three distinct zones regarding important soil variables and crop nutrients, such as soil total nitrogen, Mg2+ cation, exchange acidity, and effective cation exchange capacity, and some relevant cation ratios. This strategy also allowed the identification of an ionic unbalance in the soil chemistry, due to an excess of Mg2+, that was harming crop health, as reported by NDVI. This also impacted ECa and NDVI relationship, which was negative in this study. Overall, the results demonstrate the advantages of using remotely sensed data, mainly more than one type of sensing data, and suggest a high potential for differential crop fertilization and soil management in the study areainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Electron scattering processes in Ho5(SixGe1−x)4 compounds: Electrical resistivity studies

8 páginas, 7 figuras, 1 tabla.-- PACS number(s): 75.30.Sg, 71.70.Ch, 75.30.Kz, 75.10.DgWe present a detailed study of the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity [ρ(T)] in the range 13–300 K for the Ho5(SixGe1-x)4 system. Three distinct ρ(T) behaviors are observed, associated with different magnetic and crystallographic structures along the series. In the samples with an antiferromagnetic phase (AFM) one observes a shoulder near the Néel temperature (TN) attributed to the formation of a gap on the Fermi surface. This gap is analyzed using a phenomenological two-band model for an AFM with distinct atomic and magnetic periodicities, and its effect seems to extend well above TN. We also found the presence of short-range magnetic clusters in the paramagnetic (PM) phase. On the ferromagnetic (FM) materials, the distinct ρ(T) scattering contributions (phonon, magnetic, and residual terms) are extracted from the measurements, with ρ(T) mainly dominated by electron spin scattering. An additional contribution is also observed, arising from the strong crystal field effect in these materials. The effect is mainly observed in the PM phase, leading to a curvature on ρ(T) in this phase. Using a two-level crystal field model the corresponding gap was estimated for the different Si/Ge ratio samples, revealing that the crystal field splitting increases linearly with Si content.Work partially supported by the projects POCI/CTM/61284/2004, PTDC/CTM/NAN/115125/2009, and FEDER/POCTI n0155/94 from Fundaçâo para a Ciência ex Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal. A.M.P. thanks FCT for Grant No. SFRH/BPD/63150/2009. C.M. acknowledges the support of the Fundación ARAID. The financial support of the Spanish MEC (MAT2008-06567-C02) and DGA (Grant No. E26) is acknowledged.Peer reviewe

IRAK4 gene polymorphism and odontogenic maxillary sinusitis

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate whether a specific interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-4 (IRAK4) gene polymorphism had any influence on the development of changes in maxillary sinus, particularly in the presence of etiological factors of dental origin.Materials and methods The study population included 153 Portuguese Caucasians that were selected from a database of 504 retrospectively analysed computed tomography (CT) scans. A genetic test was performed, and a model was created through logistic analysis and regression coefficients. The statistical methodologies included were the independent Chi test, Fisher's exact test, binary logistic regression and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results The estimated prevalence of IRAK4 gene polymorphism found in a Portuguese Caucasian population was 26.8 % (CI 95 %) [20.1, 34.7 %]. A model to predict the inflammatory response in the maxillary sinus in the presence etiological factors of dental origin was constructed. This model had the following as variables: previously diagnosed sinusitis, sinus pressure symptoms, cortical bone loss observed on CT, positive genetic test result and radiographic examination that revealed the roots of the teeth communication with the maxillary sinus, which are interpreted as risk factors.Conclusions The constructed model should be considered an initial clinical tool. The area under the ROC curve found, AUC=0.91, revealed that the model correctly predicts the outcome in 91.1 % of cases.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

INTOXICAÇÃO POR NITRATO/NITRITO NO OESTE DE SANTA CATARINA - ESTUDO RETROSPECTIVO (2013-2017)

A intoxicação por nitrato/nitrito é uma enfermidade comum no estado de Santa Catarina, e que leva a morte súbita em bovinos. Trata-se de um distúrbio ocasionado pela utilização excessiva de adubação nitrogenada nas pastagens e condições climáticas adversas, como diminuição de luminosidade ou déficit hídrico, levando ao acúmulo de nitrato na pastagem. Este trabalho teve como objetivo relatar a ocorrência dos casos de intoxicação por nitrato/nitrito em bovinos na região oeste de Santa Catarina, diagnosticados pelo Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária (LPV) do Instituto Federal Catarinense – Campus Concórdia. Entre os anos de 2013 e 2017, foram diagnosticados por necropsia 10 surtos de intoxicações por nitrato/nitrito. De um total de 641 bovinos necropsiados pelo LPV nesse período, 19 correspondem a essa intoxicação, representando 2,96% da casuística de necropsias e 2,20% da casuística total de diagnósticos (necropsias e histopatológico). Ainda que seja um número expressivo de causa mortis, acredita-se que existam muitos outros casos não diagnosticados pelo LPV, visto que nem todos os animais são remetidos para necropsia. Conclui-se que as intoxicações por nitrato/nitrito são expressiva causa de morte nos rebanhos bovinos da região, devendo serem adotadas medidas de controle e prevenção. Palavras-chave: metemoglobina, patologia, bovino, diagnóstico, necropsia. 

Biodiversidade, população e economia: uma região de mata atlântica [Biodiversity, Population, and Economy: a region of atlantic forest]

Minas Gerais; Rio Doce; mata atlântica; atlantic forest; sustainable development; conservation; regional development; environment

Biodiversidade, população e economia: uma região de mata atlântica [Biodiversity, Population, and Economy: a region of atlantic forest]

Minas Gerais; Rio Doce; mata atlântica; atlantic forest; sustainable development; conservation; regional development; environment

Microcephaly in Pernambuco State, Brazil: epidemiological characteristics and evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy of cutoff points for reporting suspected cases.

The increase in the number of reported cases of microcephaly in Pernambuco State, and Northeast Brazil, characterized an epidemic that led the Brazilian Ministry of Health to declare a national public health emergency. The Brazilian Ministry of Health initially defined suspected cases as newborns with gestational age (GA) ≥ 37 weeks and head circumference (HC) ≤ 33cm, but in December 2015 this cutoff was lowered to 32cm. The current study aimed to estimate the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of different cutoff points for HC, using ROC curves, with the Fenton and Intergrowth (2014) curves as the gold standard. The study described cases reported in Pernambuco from August 8 to November 28, 2015, according to sex and GA categories. The Fenton and Intergrowth methods provide HC growth curves according to GA and sex, and microcephaly is defined as a newborn with HC below the 3rd percentile in these distributions. Of the 684 reported cases, 599 were term or post-term neonates. For these, the analyses with ROC curves show that according to the Fenton criterion the cutoff point with the largest area under the ROC curve, with sensitivity greater than specificity, is 32cm for both sexes. Using the Intergrowth method and following the same criteria, the cutoff points are 32cm and 31.5cm for males and females, respectively. The cutoff point identified by the Fenton method (32cm) coincided with the Brazilian Ministry of Health recommendation. Adopting Intergrowth as the standard, the choice would be 32cm for males and 31.5cm for females. The study identified the need to conduct critical and on-going analyses to evaluate cutoff points, including other characteristics for microcephaly case definition