A systematic review of the effects of different types of therapeutic exercise on physiologic and functional measurements in patients with HIV/AIDS

Several studies have reported the benefits of exercise training for adults with HIV, although there is no consensus regarding the most efficient modalities. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different types of exercise on physiologic and functional measurements in patients with HIV using a systematic strategy for searching randomized controlled trials. The sources used in this review were the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and PEDro from 1950 to August 2012. We selected randomized controlled trials examining the effects of exercise on body composition, muscle strength, aerobic capacity, and/or quality of life in adults with HIV. Two independent reviewers screened the abstracts using the Cochrane Collaboration's protocol. The PEDro score was used to evaluate methodological quality. In total, 29 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Individual studies suggested that exercise training contributed to improvement of physiologic and functional parameters, but that the gains were specific to the type of exercise performed. Resistance exercise training improved outcomes related to body composition and muscle strength, with little impact on quality of life. Aerobic exercise training improved body composition and aerobic capacity. Concurrent training produced significant gains in all outcomes evaluated, although moderate intensity and a long duration were necessary. We concluded that exercise training was shown to be a safe and beneficial intervention in the treatment of patients with HIV

Impact of combined heat and salt stresses on tomato plants-insights into nutrient uptake and redox homeostasis

Currently, salinity and heat are two critical threats to crop production and food security which are being aggravated by the global climatic instability. In this scenario, it is imperative to understand plant responses to simultaneous exposure to different stressors and the cross-talk between underlying functional mechanisms. Thus, in this study, the physiological and biochemical responses of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) to the combination of salinity (100 mM NaCl) and heat (42 degrees C; 4 h/day) stress were evaluated. After 21 days of co-exposure, the accumulation of Na+ in plant tissues was superior when salt-treated plants were also exposed to high temperatures compared to the individual saline treatment, leading to the depletion of other nutrients and a harsher negative effect on plant growth. Despite that, neither oxidative damage nor a major accumulation of reactive oxygen species took place under stress conditions, mostly due to the accumulation of antioxidant (AOX) metabolites alongside the activation of several AOX enzymes. Nonetheless, the plausible allocation of resources towards the defense pathways related to oxidative and osmotic stress, along with severe Na toxicity, heavily compromised the ability of plants to grow properly when the combination of salinity and heat was imposed.This research was partially supported through national funds by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), within the scope of UIDB/05748/2020 and UIDP/05748/2020 (GreenUPorto), UIDB/04050/2020 (CBMA), UIDB/50006/2020 (LAQV-REQUIMTE), as well as the PEST(bio)CIDE project (PCIF/GVB/0150/2018) and the Val-Wrack project (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029818). The work was also supported by the FCT and European funds (FEDER/POCI/COMPETE2020) through the research project "BerryPlastid" with ref. POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028165 and ref. PTDC/BIA-FBT/28165/2017. The authors also acknowledge the support by the I&D project "AgriFood XXI", ref. NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000041, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), as well as the support given through NORTE 2020 (Northern Regional Operational Program 2014/2020)

Estudo comparativo de metodos de determinacao do teor de materia organica em organossolos.

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Avaliação de métodos de aplicação de H2O2 para aclimatação de plantas de girassol à salinidade

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different methods of application of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) via seed and/or via foliar in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) plants under salt stress. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, in the experimental area of the Núcleo de Engenharia de Água e Solo - UFRB. Five treatments were tested: control (absence of NaCl); salt control (presence of 100 mM NaCl); 1 mM H2O2 via seed (in presence of 100 mM NaCl); 1 mM H2O2 via foliar (in presence of 100 mM NaCl); 1 mM H2O2 via seed + 1 mM H2O2 via foliar (in presence of 100 mM NaCl). The assay was conducted in a completely randomized design with 4 replicates. The plants were maintained during a period of 20 days in a floating type hydroponic system. Salt stress affected negatively the production of leaves, stem, roots and total dry mass. Pretreatment with H2O2 application via seed and the combination via seed + foliar via were able to reduce the deleterious effects of salinity, providing higher relative biomass yields.Objetivou-se com o presente estudo avaliar o efeito de diferentes métodos de aplicação de peróxido de hidrogênio (H2O2) via semente e/ou via foliar em plantas de girassol (Helianthus annuus L.) sob estresse salino. O experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação, no campo experimental do Núcleo de Engenharia de Água e Solo, UFRB. Foram testados cinco tratamentos: controle (ausência de NaCl); controle salino (presença de 100 mM NaCl); 1 mM H2O2 via semente (na presença de 100 mM NaCl); 1 mM H2O2 via foliar (na presença de 100 mM NaCl); 1 mM H2O2 via semente + 1 mM H2O2 via foliar (na presença de 100 mM NaCl). O ensaio foi realizado em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com 4 repetições. As plantas foram mantidas durante um período de 20 dias em sistema hidropônico do tipo floating. O estresse salino reduziu significativamente a produção de massa seca das folhas, caule e raízes. O pré-tratamento com aplicação de H2O2 via semente e a combinação via semente + via foliar foram capazes de reduzir os efeitos deletérios da salinidade, proporcionando maiores produções relativas da biomassa

Highlights from the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Pierre Auger Observatory is the world's largest cosmic ray observatory. Our current exposure reaches nearly 40,000 km$^2$ str and provides us with an unprecedented quality data set. The performance and stability of the detectors and their enhancements are described. Data analyses have led to a number of major breakthroughs. Among these we discuss the energy spectrum and the searches for large-scale anisotropies. We present analyses of our X$_{max}$ data and show how it can be interpreted in terms of mass composition. We also describe some new analyses that extract mass sensitive parameters from the 100% duty cycle SD data. A coherent interpretation of all these recent results opens new directions. The consequences regarding the cosmic ray composition and the properties of UHECR sources are briefly discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figures, talk given at the 33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference, Rio de Janeiro 201

Update on the correlation of the highest energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic matter

Data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory through 31 August 2007 showed evidence for anisotropy in the arrival directions of cosmic rays above the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz'min energy threshold, \nobreak{$6\times 10^{19}$eV}. The anisotropy was measured by the fraction of arrival directions that are less than $3.1^\circ$ from the position of an active galactic nucleus within 75 Mpc (using the V\'eron-Cetty and V\'eron $12^{\rm th}$ catalog). An updated measurement of this fraction is reported here using the arrival directions of cosmic rays recorded above the same energy threshold through 31 December 2009. The number of arrival directions has increased from 27 to 69, allowing a more precise measurement. The correlating fraction is $(38^{+7}_{-6})$, compared with $21$ expected for isotropic cosmic rays. This is down from the early estimate of $(69^{+11}_{-13})$. The enlarged set of arrival directions is examined also in relation to other populations of nearby extragalactic objects: galaxies in the 2 Microns All Sky Survey and active galactic nuclei detected in hard X-rays by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope. A celestial region around the position of the radiogalaxy Cen A has the largest excess of arrival directions relative to isotropic expectations. The 2-point autocorrelation function is shown for the enlarged set of arrival directions and compared to the isotropic expectation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physics on 31 August 201

Anisotropy and chemical composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays using arrival directions measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Pierre Auger Collaboration has reported evidence for anisotropy in the distribution of arrival directions of the cosmic rays with energies $E>E_{th}=5.5\times 10^{19}$ eV. These show a correlation with the distribution of nearby extragalactic objects, including an apparent excess around the direction of Centaurus A. If the particles responsible for these excesses at $E>E_{th}$ are heavy nuclei with charge $Z$, the proton component of the sources should lead to excesses in the same regions at energies $E/Z$. We here report the lack of anisotropies in these directions at energies above $E_{th}/Z$ (for illustrative values of $Z=6,\ 13,\ 26$). If the anisotropies above $E_{th}$ are due to nuclei with charge $Z$, and under reasonable assumptions about the acceleration process, these observations imply stringent constraints on the allowed proton fraction at the lower energies

Advanced functionality for radio analysis in the Offline software framework of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The advent of the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) necessitates the development of a powerful framework for the analysis of radio measurements of cosmic ray air showers. As AERA performs "radio-hybrid" measurements of air shower radio emission in coincidence with the surface particle detectors and fluorescence telescopes of the Pierre Auger Observatory, the radio analysis functionality had to be incorporated in the existing hybrid analysis solutions for fluoresence and surface detector data. This goal has been achieved in a natural way by extending the existing Auger Offline software framework with radio functionality. In this article, we lay out the design, highlights and features of the radio extension implemented in the Auger Offline framework. Its functionality has achieved a high degree of sophistication and offers advanced features such as vectorial reconstruction of the electric field, advanced signal processing algorithms, a transparent and efficient handling of FFTs, a very detailed simulation of detector effects, and the read-in of multiple data formats including data from various radio simulation codes. The source code of this radio functionality can be made available to interested parties on request.Comment: accepted for publication in NIM A, 13 pages, minor corrections to author list and references in v