Alternative methodology for Scott-Knott test

The test proposed by Scott Knott (1974), a procedure of means grouping, is an effective alternative to performprocedures of multiple comparisons without ambiguity. This study aimed to propose a modification related to the partitioningand means grouping in the said procedure, to obtain results without ambiguity among treatments, organized in morehomogeneous groups. In the proposed methodology, treatments that did not participate in the initial group are joined for a newanalysis, which allows for a better group distribution. In a comparative study, four experiments were simulated in a randomizedcomplete block design. The first consisted of 10 and the other 3 of 100 treatments. All experiments were performed in threereplications at a significance level of 0.05 for the means grouping test. Only in the third experiment of those of 100 treatmentsthe groups formed by Scott-Knott did not differ from the methodology proposed here. The proposed methodology is consideredeffective, aiming at the identification of elite cultivar groups for recommendation

CONSIDERAÇÕES NA ANESTESIA DE ANIMAIS DE LABORATÓRIO

A anestesia em animais de laboratório tem como diretriz de conduzir os experimentos científicos com a mais rigorosa maestria, de modo a gerar mínimo estresse aos animais e por outro lado, ter a possibilidade de coletar dados com excelência. A história da medicina possibilita desvendarmos os caminhos pelos quais a anestesiologia se guiou de modo a incorporar a ética humana e animal juntamente com o rigor metodológico e científico. Esta revisão surge a partir de pesquisa nos bancos de dados Pubmed, Scielo e Bireme, juntamente com consulta literária. Os achados apontam para as principais particularidades entre as espécies e técnicas de anestesiologia utilizados nos dias atuais. Foram descritos os principais fármacos e vias para utilização em camundongos, ratos wistar e coelhos. Os resultados encontrados nesta revisão confirmam a necessidade de compreender as diferenças entre as espécies e o conhecimento farmacológico para realizar a conduta anestésica adequada para cada espécie

Ambipolar carrier diffusion in In0:53Ga0:47As single quantum wells

The microluminescence surface scan technique (MSST) has been used to investigate photocarrier diffusion in undoped In0:53Ga0:47As - InP single quantum well (QW), in the temperature (T) range from 15 K to 295 K. Narrowing of the photoluminescence (PL) spatial profile is observed as the temperature is lowered, indicating reduction of the photocarrier diffusion length upon cooling. It was found that the width of the PL spatial profile follows a linear function of temperature, but a change in slope by a factor of 2.6 is observed at about 200 K, indicating a change of the dominant carrier scattering mechanism. In the temperature range of 15 K to 200 K, the ambipolar photocarrier diffusion mechanism seems to be correlated to impurity states thermally activated

Interações entre bactérias diazotróficas e fungo micorrízico em genótipos de milho

Some diazotrophic bacteria can fix nitrogen biologically in gramineous host plants. Generally, gramineous plants are also associated with mycorrhizal fungi, that can improve mainly plant P uptake. Among the factors affecting plant-microbe interactions, the plant genotype plays an important role. This study evaluates the effect of diazotrophic bacteria and an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF), on five genotypes of maize (Zea mays L.), in relation to plant biomass, shoot N and P concentrations, and fine root morphological traits. The experimental design was entirely randomized in a factorial 5 × 4 × 2 arrangement, i.e., five maize genotypes (hybrids C333B, AS3466, and PREMIUM, and the inbreed lines lg40897-1 and lg40505-1), three diazotrophic bacteria (Azospirillum lipoferum, A. amazonense, and Burkholderia sp.) in addition to a control without bacterial inoculation, co-inoculated or not with the AMF Glomus clarum. The non-mycorrhizal plants inoculated with Azospirillum exhibited the highest N concentrations. The lines lg40897-1 and lg40505-1 showed higher P concentrations as compared to the hybrids, mainly when colonized by AMF. The higher levels of mycorrhizal colonization (90%) occurred in the C333B and lg40897-1 genotypes, which also exhibited a greater root diameter. Mycorrhiza increased shoot and root biomass, besides root traits as total length, specific length, total surface, and incidence of root hairs in all genotypes. In addition, mycorrhiza also stimulated the root colonization by diazotrophic bacteria. The bacteria did not affect root morphological traits and mycorrhizal colonization.Algumas bactérias diazotróficas podem fixar N biologicamente em gramíneas, as quais se associam a fungos micorrízicos, o que pode levar a um aumento principalmente da absorção de P. Dentre os fatores que afetam as interações planta-microrganismos, o genótipo da planta tem importante papel. Esse trabalho avalia o efeito de bactérias diazotróficas e de um fungo micorrízico arbuscular (FMA) em cinco genótipos de milho (Zea mays L.), em relação à biomassa das plantas, teores de N e P na parte aérea e parâmetros relacionados à morfologia das raízes finas. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, em arranjo fatorial 5 × 4 × 2, sendo cinco genótipos de milho (híbridos C333B, AS3466, PREMIUM e as linhagens lg40897-1 e lg40505-1), três bactérias diazotróficas (Azospirillum lipoferum, A. amazonense e Burkholderia sp.), mais um controle sem bactéria, co-inoculadas ou não com o FMA Glomus clarum. As plantas sem FMA e inoculadas com Azospirillum apresentaram os maiores teores de N. As linhagens lg40897-1 e lg40505-1 apresentaram maior concentração de P em relação aos híbridos, principalmente quando micorrizadas. Os maiores níveis de colonização micorrízica (90%) ocorreram nos genótipos C333B e lg40897-1 que, por sua vez, apresentaram maior diâmetro de raízes. O FMA aumentou a biomassa da parte aérea e das raízes, comprimento total e específico, superfície total e incidência de pêlos nas raízes em todos os genótipos. O fungo micorrízico também estimulou a colonização das raízes pelas bactérias diazotróficas. Já as bactérias não alteraram as características morfológicas das raízes e nem a colonização micorrízica

Clinical and nutritional follow-up of cats with chronic kidney disease fed with a renal prescription diet

Background: The use of prescription diets for cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the main management approach of this disease in cats, and is considered a renoprotective strategy that may promote increased survival and/or improve quality of life, according to the stage of CKD. Besides that, nutritional assessment is important to monitor the maintenance of quality of life of the patients and their response to disease, especially those with chronic conditions. The aim of this study was to follow the clinical and nutritional status of cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) IRIS stages II, III and IV fed with a renal prescription diet, followed for 12 months. Materials, Methods & Results: Patients were fed exclusively with a dry renal prescription diet and medications for the management of CKD were prescribed when needed. Exclusion criteria were cats that already received a renal prescription diet or medications for the treatment of CKD. Cats were evaluated every 2 months, considering body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), muscle mass score (MMS), clinical and laboratory parameters. In all assessments, a complete blood count and biochemistry were performed by conventional methods with the patient fasted for 12 h. In addition, urinalysis, urine protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) and urine culture were performed from a urine sample collected by cystocentesis. The quantitative variables were tested for their stability on consecutive assessments using the non-parametric Friedman test, and did not present significant variation during follow-up, except for systolic blood pressure (SBP). Eight cats with a diagnosis of CKD were included in the study and 6 of them remained in the same CKD stage during follow-up. On cat died due to an unrelated CKD cause. Regarding nutritional assessment, 5 of 7 cats maintained BW during the 12 months. Of these, 4 also maintained MMS and BCS. Three of 7 cats presented a decrease in MMS, 2 of which presented also a decreased BW and one maintained BW. Discussion: IRIS staging results combined with Friedman’s analysis demonstrated that the diet and the clinical management were effective in the non-progression of CKD in this study. As renal injury is not expected to be reversed in CKD, the maintenance of cats in the same IRIS stages and the minimum variation of the parameters is considered a positive result in this study. Hypertensive cats started on antihypertensive therapy during the study, achieving adequate control of SBP in most cases, what can justify the variation of this clinical parameter over the 12 months. Hyperphosphatemia was a frequent alteration, included stage II cats, and presented a positive response to nutritional and medical therapy. Despite CKD staging progression was not observed in most cats using serum creatinine as a single parameter, some cats presented BW and MMS reduction, which may have influenced this result. Weight loss and muscle wasting may have occurred by several reasons, including periods of hyporexia, presence of concomitant diseases, aging process or reduced protein content on renal prescription diets. This study enhances the importance of the association of clinical and nutritional management in the maintenance of cats with CKD. We suggest that other studies are done during longer periods of time and with a larger sample to support the results found. We also suggest new studies to evaluate the protein requirements for cats with CKD

Fatores que influenciam as atitudes dos indivíduos em prol do desenvolvimento sustentável: um estudo com discentes da área de negócios

Purpose: This study aimed to identify factors influencing the attitudes of individuals towards sustainable development, in its different dimensions.Design/methodology/approach: For the scope of the study, were admitted students from presential courses in Administration and Accounting Sciences from two Higher Education Institutions (HEI) located in the State of Bahia. Questionnaire was used as the data collection instrument. For the test of hypothesis, a multiple linear regression analysis was made, with a data base of 254 questionnaires.Findings: There was evidence that the knowledge about sustainability influences, in a positive and significant way, the student attitude in Dimensions Environmental, Economic, Social and Education. Results indicate that students with left-wing political conceptions have a tendency of showing more positive attitudes regarding sustainable development in Social and Education Dimensions. Finally, evidence was obtained about negative and significant relation between family income with Environmental and Economic Dimensions.Research Implications: Conceptually, in this study a fourth dimension of attitudes regarding sustainability was incorporated to the traditional tripod of sustainability, thus transforming it in a tetrahedron.Practical Implications: The meaning and importance of those evidences are discussed and can contribute to generate policies on education for sustainability.Originality/value: The study contributes to enable a better understanding about the formative process, the conscience, the attitude and the behaviors around sustainability questions in the field of management, which are relevant for reaching one of the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations.Objetivo: Este estudo teve o propósito de identificar fatores que influenciam as atitudes de indivíduos em prol do desenvolvimento sustentável, em suas diferentes dimensões.Design/Metodologia/Abordagem: Para o escopo do estudo, admitiram-se discentes de cursos presenciais em Administração e Ciências Contábeis de duas Instituições de Ensino Superior localizadas no Estado da Bahia. Empregou-se o questionário como instrumento de coleta de dados. Para o teste de hipóteses, realizou-se análise de regressão linear múltipla com uma base de dados de 254 questionários.Resultados: Houve evidências de que o conhecimento sobre sustentabilidade influência de forma positiva e significante a atitude discente nas Dimensões Ambientais, Econômicas, Sociais e de Educação. Os resultados apontaram que discentes com concepções políticas de esquerda tendem a apresentar atitudes mais positivas em prol do desenvolvimento sustentável, nas Dimensões Ambientais e Sociais, e que o gênero feminino apresenta atitudes mais positivas nas Dimensões Sociais e de Educação. E, por fim, obtiveram-se indícios de relação negativa e significante da renda familiar com as Dimensões Ambientais e Econômicas.Implicações da Pesquisa: Conceitualmente, neste estudo, uma quarta dimensão de atitudes em relação à sustentabilidade foi incorporada ao tradicional tripé da sustentabilidade, transformando-o em um tetraedro.Implicações Práticas: O significado e a importância dessas evidências são discutidos e podem contribuir para a geração de políticas de educação para a sustentabilidade.Originalidade/valor: O estudo contribui para possibilitar uma melhor compreensão sobre o processo formativo, a consciência, a atitude e os comportamentos em torno das questões de sustentabilidade no campo da gestão, que são relevantes para alcançar um dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável propostos pelas Nações Unidas

Extrarenal Pelvis in a Cat - Diagnosis by Scintigraphy

Background: In people, extrarenal pelvis is a normal anatomical variant, characterized by the protusion of the pelvis out of the renal hilum, which can be associated with other anomalies, or predispose to stasis or infection. While other diagnostic imaging methods provide anatomical and morphological information about the kidney, scintigraphy allows to determine the renal function and has greater sensitivity in the detection of functional alterations. The aim of this work is to report the case of an asymptomatic cat diagnosed with extrarenal pelvis detected by scintigraphy, which presented alterations in laboratory and renal imaging tests, and absence of associated obstructive process. Case: A 7-year-old mixed-breed female cat was evaluated for a routine health assessment at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (HCV-UFRGS). When performing the imaging and laboratory tests, renal alterations compatible with chronic kidney disease were found in the abdominal ultrasonography examination and in serum creatinine levels. Therefore, it was decided to perform scintigraphy evaluation to better assess renal function. Dynamic renal scintigraphy with 99mTcDTPA revealed an evident concentration of the radiotracer in the left kidney with effective elimination only after the diuretic stimulus. The right kidney exhibited less concentration of the radiotracer but showed effective elimination before the diuretic stimulus. Image analysis suggested the presence of an extrarenal pelvis on the left side. The relative renal uptake was 68% for the left kidney and 32% for the right kidney. The glomerular filtration rate was 1.65 mL/min/kg. Static renal scintigraphy with 99mTcDMSA revealed irregularity in the distribution of the radiotracer in both kidneys, showing less activity in the caudal pole of the left kidney. The right kidney was apparently reduced and with less activity, especially in the medial portion. The relative renal uptake was 65% for the left kidney and 35% for right kidney, while the absolute renal uptake of the left kidney was 33% and that of the right kidney was 17%. The alteration described in the left kidney, in correlation with dynamic renal scintigraphy, suggested an aspect of lower activity in the caudal pole due to the presence of activity in the extrarenal pelvis. The left kidney was classified as presenting normal renal function and there was moderate to severe deficit of renal function on the right side. Discussion: Chronic kidney disease may be present before clinical signs and biochemical abnormalities are identified. In this report, the animal was referred for a routine evaluation and showed no clinical signs nor alterations on physical examination. However, as renal morphological alterations were seen on ultrasonography and the cat presented mild azotemia, it was decided to perform two renal scintigraphy exams. Despite the radiotracer elimination from the left kidney was seen only after the diuretic stimulus, dynamic renal scintigraphy did not show any obstructive process. This delay on elimination was probably a result of the anatomical variant called extrarenal pelvis. In the static renal scintigraphy, it was possible to evaluate morphological changes in the kidneys and suggest less activity in the caudal pole of the left kidney, due to the presence of activity in the extrarenal pelvis, apparently causing the mentioned defect. The correct diagnosis of morphological changes is essential and for this purpose the best combination of imaging tests is necessary. Renal scintigraphy was fundamental, in this case, for the diagnosis of extrarenal pelvis in one of the kidneys, an abnormality not reported in the feline species within the literature researched by the authors. In addition, renal scintigraphy helped to guide the clinical management of the patient described in this report. Keywords: renal scintigraphy, chronic kidney disease, ultrasonography, nuclear medicine. Título: Pelve extrarrenal em uma gata - diagnóstico por cintilografia. Descritores: cintilografia renal, doença renal crônica, ultrassonografia, medicina nuclear

Repeatability and harvest numbers in selecting sugarcane clones

Os objetivos deste trabalho foram estabelecer estimativas dos coeficientes de repetibilidade (r) e determinar a previsibilidade (R2) e o número de medições necessárias das características toneladas de colmos por hectare, toneladas de sacarose no caldo da cana por hectare e teor de sacarose dos colmos, pol porcento cana, em genótipos de cana-de-açúcar. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos casualizados, com três repetições em quatro experimentos e quatro repetições nos demais experimentos. As estimativas de repetibilidade foram obtidas pelos métodos estatísticos da análise de variância, componentes principais com base na matriz de correlações e análise estrutural (correlação, r – médio). As estimativas dos coeficientes de repetibilidade revelaram valores muito semelhantes. A repetibilidade média geral nas três características foi superior a 0,60, demonstrando regularidade do desempenho dos genótipos nas várias medições (cortes) e confiabilidade na discriminação genotípica superior a 87%. Verificou-se, nas três características, a necessidade do emprego de no mínimo três cortes, para que a seleção possa ser praticada com previsibilidade do valor real do genótipo acima de 80%.This work aimed at the establishment of the repeatability coefficients (r), determination of the predictability degree (R2) and the needed measurement numbers for tons of cane per hectare, percentage of pol (sucrose) in the juice of cane and tons of pol in the juice of cane per hectare in sugarcane genotypes. A randomized block experimental design, with three replicates in four experiments and four replicates in the other experiments was used. The repeatability estimates were obtained by the statistical methods: anova; main components based on correlation matrix; and structural analysis (correlation, average r). The estimates of the repeatability coefficients showed values with very similar magnitude. The general average repeatability for those three traits was above 0.60, therefore showing regularity in the genotype performance at several measurements (cuts) and reliability in the genotype discrimination that was higher than 87%. The results showed that for those three traits there is a need for the use of, at least, three cuts so that the selection can be accomplished with predictability of a real value above 80% for the genotype

Bactérias consumidoras de fosfato em uma bacia hidrográfica urbana no centro da Amazônia

As preocupações mais difundidas com relação à contaminação por dejetos humanos e animais são causadas por patógenos relacionados a doenças transmitidas pela água e concentrações excessivas de nitrogênio e fósforo que provocam o fenômeno da eutrofização. Dessa forma, esse estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a interação entre a bactéria E. Coli com os teores de fosfato em uma bacia hidrográfica urbana em Manaus. Foram realizadas 14 coletas quinzenais entre os meses de setembro de 2021 e março de 2022. As amostras de água para análise de E. coli foram coletadas próximos da superfície em frascos de vidro de 100 mL, enquanto que para as análises de fosfato, as amostras foram coletadas em frascos de polietileno e acondicionadas até as análises por Colilert e espectrofotometria, respectivamente. Os resultados mostraram que as águas naturalmente ácidas de Manaus apresentaram valores de pH básicos em muitos locais (até 7,20) e que existe uma tendência linear entre fosfato e E. coli. Esse microrganismo prevaleceu em ambientes menos ácidos. Em valores de pH próximos a 7,0 a concentração de fosfato praticamente não muda, como se esse íon estivesse associado a algum tampão no meio (a partir de 0,04 mg L-1). A E. coli predominou em todos os pontos cujas concentrações de fosfato foram acima de 0,04 mg L-1, obedecendo uma tendência logarítmica típica para crescimento de microbiano. Ao contrário do que se esperava, não houve diluição em direção às fozes desta bacia hidrográfica, nem para fosfato e nem para a E. coli