Exploring the Simultaneous Effect of Total Ion Concentration and K:Ca:Mg Ratio of the Nutrient Solution on the Growth and Nutritional Value of Hydroponically Grown Cichorium spinosum L.

Nutrient-efficient plants and agricultural systems could tackle issues resulting from conventional agriculture. Spiny chicory (Cichorium spinosum L.), a very adaptive, wild edible vegetable, is gaining commercial interest as a functional food. Floating-raft hydroponics is a method commonly used for the commercial cultivation of leafy vegetables due to numerous advantages compared to soil cultivation. In this paper, the simultaneous effects of different potassium, calcium and magnesium ratios and different electrical conductivity (EC) levels on the growth and mineral composition of hydroponically grown C. spinosum were investigated. Four nutrient solutions (NS) were compared, two NS with low EC (L, 2.4 dS/m) and two with high EC (H, 3.6 dS/m) with K:Ca:Mg ratios of either 50:40:10 or 40:50:10. The results showed no interactions between the two factors. No significant effects were observed on the fresh and dry weight, leaf number and leaf area. High EC levels increased the K content and decreased the Mn and Zn content in the leaf tissues. The 40:50:10 ratio led to increased Ca content in plant tissues. The Nitrate-N was only affected by the EC level and was increased under H conditions, whereas the total-N was not affected

Repetibilidade de resposta para produção in vivo de embriões em ovelhas Santa Inês.

Resumo: Tem sido observado em caprinos e bovinos que animais com desempenho satisfatório em programas de superovulação tendem a manter esta boa resposta em protocolos consecutivos. Esta característica tem uma grande aplicabilidade, uma vez que um primeiro programa para produção de embriões poderia servir para triar animais com maior potencial de resposta. Assim, apenas as doadoras com histórico de alto potencial de resposta seriam incluídas em futuras superovulações, o que poderia aumentar a eficiência da MOTE. Levando em conta estes conceitos, objetivou-se verificar se borregas da raça Santa Inês mantém um padrão de resposta quando submetidas a três superovulações consecutivas para a produção in vivo de embriões. [Repeatability of response for embryo in vivo production in Santa Inês sheep].Resumo apresentado nos anais do XXII Congresso Brasileiro de Reprodução Animal, Santos, SP, 2017

Effects of different isosmotic salt solutions on leaf gas exchange of hydroponically-grown Valerianella locusta

Nowadays there is an increasing interest in hydroponic floating system cultivation of several leafy greens. Floating could also be used to apply moderate salinity stress in order to increase the nutritional quality of fresh-cut leafy greens. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of different types and rates of salinity on the leaf gas exchange of corn salad (Valerianella locusta). Five nutrient solutions were used: a basic nutrient solution used as control (Std), and four saline nutrient solutions that were prepared by adding to the basic nutrient solution, NaCl or CaCl2 at two concentrations (low and high). At each salinity level, the salt concentrations were iso-osmotic. Hence, the two concentrations for NaCl were 20 mM and 40 mM, LNa and HNa and for CaCl2 were 13.3 mM and 26.5 mM, LCa and HCa (low and high, respectively). For the light response curves of the photosynthetic rate (A), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (gs) and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), youngest fully expanded leaves were placed inside the chamber of LCpro T (ADC) and irradiated with 0, 43, 87, 174, 261, 435, 696, 870, and 1044 μmol m-2 s-1. From 435 μmol m-2 s-1 and on, Std maintained the highest A. From 0 to 696 μmol m-2 s-1 HCa had the lowest E, while the LNa treatment had the highest. For gs, differences appeared after the 87 μmol m-2 s-1 point. Std had the highest gs while HCa had the lowest values. Moreover, Ci values were higher in the HNa and lower in the LCa. Finally, the Water Use Efficiency (WUE) was calculated as the A/E ratio and appeared greater in the HCa and lowest in the LNa. The obtained results indicate that even though the dominant factor for the impact of salinity on corn salad is the osmotic potential level, the source salinity should also be considered accordingly

Glândula submandibular de ratos com envelhecimento: observações ao microscópio eletrônico de varredura de alta resolução Submandibular gland of rats with ageing: observations with high resolution scanning electron microscopy

As características tridimensionais dos componentes intracelulares de células acinares e de ductos foram reveladas usando o método ósmio-DMSO-ósmio. As amostras foram maceradas em solução de tetróxido de ósmio diluído após a fratura na solução de dimetil sulfoxido. As lamelas do retículo endoplasmático granular são reveladas entremeadas por várias mitocôndrias. As lamelas do retículo endoplasmático granular são localizados ao redor dos núcleos na porção basal e estas estruturas são observadas em imagens tridimensionais de microscopia eletrônica de alta resolução.<br>The three-dimensional characteristics of the intracellular components of acinar and ductal cells were revealed using the osmium-DMSO-osmium method. The samples were macerated in diluted osmium after fractured in DMSO solution. The stacks of the rough endoplasmic reticulum are revealed intermingling by several mitochondria. The lamellae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum are located around the nuclei at basal portion and these structures are shown in three-dimensional HRSEM images

Utopian and Developmental Mediterranean Spaces: The Example of the Inland Sea of Martins, Lavigne, Roudaire et al. (1869–1892)

Following the example of the tremendous success of the digging of the Suez Canal during its time, scientific and technical progress led us to believe, for more than a century and a half, in a Nature that could be modelled by Man. The nineteenth century saw the triumph of modern thought (Rabinow 1995) and the figure of the engineer, as well as the proliferation of major projects in the field of land planning, projects nowadays called “utopian”. This resea=rch will attempt to present an example to our emblematic sense of this era: the project of Captain Roudaire on the creation of an Inland Sea (1874–1884) in the southern Algerian and Tunisian borders. Our aim will be to complete the brilliant analytical work done by Olivier Soubeyran and Ahmed Benckeik (1993) by making a new point about the origins of the project and its fertile descent. Thus, we will endeavour to show that the utopian projects do not die and reappear very regularly, according to the current events and the international preoccupations – and it is the case of the Inner Sea – proof that they have not been forgotten and they “haunt” the long-term world of global planning

CD14 Is Expressed and Released as Soluble CD14 by Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells In Vitro: Lipopolysaccharide Activation of Epithelial Cells Revisited

Human endothelial as well as epithelial cells were shown to respond to lipopolysaccharides (LPSs). However, the expression and release of CD14 by these so-called CD14-negative cells have not been studied in detail. We investigated three human intestinal epithelial cell lines (ECLs), SW-480, HT-29, and Caco-2, for their expression of CD14 and CD11c/CD18 as well as their responsiveness to endotoxins. Fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis revealed no expression of CD11c/CD18, but there was low expression of membrane-bound CD14 on HT-29, Caco-2, and SW-480 ECLs. Both Western blotting and reverse transcription-PCR confirmed the CD14 positivity of all three intestinal ECLs. No substantial modulation of CD14 expression was achieved after 6, 8, 18, 24, and 48 h of cultivation with 10-fold serial dilutions of LPS ranging from 0.01 ng/ml to 100 μg/ml. Interestingly, soluble CD14 was found in the tissue culture supernatants of all three ECLs. Finally, only HT-29 and SW-480, and not Caco-2, cells responded to LPS exposure (range, 0.01 ng/ml to 100 μg/ml) by interleukin 8 release. Thus, we show that HT-29, SW-480, and Caco-2 human intestinal ECLs express membrane-bound CD14. As Caco-2 cells did not respond to LPS, these cell lines might be an interesting model for studying the receptor complex for LPS. The fact that human intestinal epithelial cells are capable not only of expression but also of release of soluble CD14 may have important implications in vivo, e.g., in shaping the interaction between the mucosal immune system and bacteria in the gut and/or in the pathogenesis of endotoxin shock

Physics with HADES at GSI

EIInternational audienc

Physics with HADES at GSI

EIInternational audienc

HADES - Analysis results from C+C at 2 AGeV collisions

International audienc

(n,cp) reactions study at the n_TOF facility at CERN: results for the Cosmological Lithium problem

The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis describes the production of the lightest nuclides from deuterium to Li at the early stages of the Universe. While a general good agreement is found for most of the isotopes involved in the synthesis, a serious discrepancy between the predicted abundance of $^{7}$Li and the related experimental observations is still present. This discrepancy has been referred since several decades as Cosmological Lithium Problem. In one last attempt to find nuclear solutions to this longstanding conundrum, the $^{7}$Be(n,α)$^{4}$He and ^7}Be(n,p)$^{7}$Li reactions, that affect predominantly the production of 7Li via the destruction of his parent nucleus 7Be, have been studied. Here we present the $^{7}$Be(n,α)$^{4}$He and $^{7}$Be(n,p)$^{7}$Li reaction cross- section measurements performed at the high-resolution n_TOF facility using the time-of-flight technique and high purity samples. The result of the experiments definitely rules out neutron induced reactions as a solution to the puzzle, thus indicating that explanations have to be sought out in other Physics scenarios