Sustainability of Soybean Farms Participating in the Agro Plus Program in Minas Gerais State, Brazil: An Application of Cluster and Principal Component Analyzes

Brazil is the world's largest producer and exporter of soy. The 2022/23 harvest reached 154 million tons and the soy complex (soybean and processed products) was responsible for 19 % of Brazilian agribusiness total exports, contributing with US$ 60 billion to the trade balance. The sustainability of agricultural production is a key issue for the European and Chinese markets. The Agro Plus program, former Soja Plus, was set up in the early 2010s by the Brazilian Vegetable Oil Industries and Farmers Associations (ABIOVE) with the objective of improving the sustainability of soy production. The Agro Plus has been implemented in 5.300 farms nationwide using a checklist which comprises around 230 indicators divided into Social and Environmental and Rural Construction major themes. In Minas Gerais State, the program is coordinate by the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) and the Farmers´ Association. The objective of this study was to identify critical indicators and groups of farms, allowing the discussion and proposition of individual and collective actions. The Cluster and the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) methods were used. Based on the updated version of the checklist applied in 123 farms during the 2021/22 season, three groups of farms (A, B and C) were identified comprising of 18, 77 and 22 farms respectively. PCA analysis was carried out for each major theme. The first three PCs explain 67% of the variance of Socio Environmental themes and 70% of Rural Building themes. Identified critical indicators and the analysis of farms´ groups allowed the proposition of focused capacity building and distribution of information material to specific group of farms. The UFV team shared the results with the Coordination of the Program and actions for the next Agro Plus assessment campaign will be discussed in a National Seminar to be held in early 2023. It would be highly opportune to include data from other states and to discuss the results considering the requirements of specific market, such as the Chinese one

Vortices in U(1) Noncommutative Gauge Fields

Charged vortex solutions for noncommutative Maxwell-Higgs model in 3+1 dimensions are found. We show that the stability of these vortex solutions is spoiled out for some, large enough, noncommutativity parameter. A non topological charge, however, is induced by noncommutative effects.Comment: references added, slight modifications in the introduction and conclusions. To be published in PR

Translational Control in the Latency of Apicomplexan Parasites

Apicomplexan parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium spp. use latent stages to persist in the host, facilitate transmission, and thwart treatment of infected patients. Therefore, it is important to understand the processes driving parasite differentiation to and from quiescent stages. Here, we discuss how a family of protein kinases that phosphorylate the eukaryotic initiation factor-2 (eIF2) function in translational control and drive differentiation. This translational control culminates in reprogramming of the transcriptome to facilitate parasite transition towards latency. We also discuss how eIF2 phosphorylation contributes to the maintenance of latency and provides a crucial role in the timing of reactivation of latent parasites towards proliferative stages

In vitro tissue culture of apple and other Malus species: recent advances and applications

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A Membrane-bound eIF2 Alpha Kinase Located in Endosomes Is Regulated by Heme and Controls Differentiation and ROS Levels in Trypanosoma cruzi

Translation initiation has been described as a key step for the control of growth and differentiation of several protozoan parasites in response to environmental changes. This occurs by the activation of protein kinases that phosphorylate the alpha subunit of the translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2 alpha), which decreases translation, and in higher eukaryotes favors the expression of stress remedial response genes. However, very little is known about the signals that activate eIF2 alpha kinases in protozoan parasites. Here, we characterized an eIF2 alpha kinase of Trypanosoma cruzi (TcK2), the agent of Chagas' disease, as a transmembrane protein located in organelles that accumulate nutrients in proliferating parasite forms. We found that heme binds specifically to the catalytic domain of the kinase, inhibiting its activity. in the absence of heme, TcK2 is activated, arresting cell growth and inducing differentiation of proliferative into infective and non-proliferative forms. Parasites lacking TcK2 lose this differentiation capacity and heme is not stored in reserve organelles, remaining in the cytosol. TcK2 null cells display growth deficiencies, accumulating hydrogen peroxide that drives the generation of reactive oxygen species. the augmented level of hydrogen peroxide occurs as a consequence of increased superoxide dismutase activity and decreased peroxide activity. These phenotypes could be reverted by the re-expression of the wild type but not of a TcK2 dead mutant. These findings indicate that heme is a key factor for the growth control and differentiation through regulation of an unusual type of eIF2 alpha kinase in T. cruzi.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilNYU, Sch Med, Dept Pathol, New York, NY USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 2011/51973-3FAPESP: 2009/54364-8FAPESP: 2012/09403-8FAPESP: 2011/50586-6FAPESP: 2003/12722-9FAPESP: 2012/50399-4FAPESP: 2009/52047-5CNPq: 477143/2011-3CNPq: 304359/2009-2Web of Scienc

Impact of age on tDCS effects on pain threshold and working memory : results of a proof of concept cross-over randomized controlled study

Background: Age is an important factor that impacts the variability of tDCS effects. Objective/Hypothesis: To compare effects of anodal (a)-tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and primary motor cortex (M1) in adolescents, adults, and elderly on heat pain threshold (HPT; primary outcome) and the working memory (WM; secondary outcome). We hypothesized that the effect of tDCS on HPT and WM performance would be the largest in adolescents because their pre-frontal cortex is more prone to neuroplasticity. Methods: We included 30 healthy women within the age ranges of 15–16 (adolescents, n = 10), 30–40 (adults, n = 10), and 60–70 (elderly, n = 10) years. In this crossover single-blinded study, participants received three interventions applied over the DLPF and M1. The active stimulation intensity was two mA for 30 min. From 20 min of stimulation onset, the tDCS session was coupled with an online n-back task. The a-tDCS and sham were applied in a random sequence, with a washout time of a minimum 7 days between each trial. HPT was evaluated before and after stimulation. The WM performance with an n-back task was assessed after the tDCS session. Results: A Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model revealed a significant effect of the a-tDCS over the left DLPFC to reduce the HPT in adolescents compared with sham. It increased the pain perception significantly [a large effect size (ES) of 1.09)]. In the adults, a-tDCS over M1 enhanced the HPT significantly (a large ES of 1.25) compared to sham. No significant effect for HPT was found in the elderly. Response time for hits was reduced for a-tDCS over the DLPFC in adolescents, as compared to the other two age groups. Conclusions: These findings suggest that a-tDCS modulates pain perception and WM differentially according to age and target area of stimulation. In adolescents, anodal stimulation over the DLPFC increased the pain perception, while in adults, the stimulation over the M1 increased the pain threshold. Thus, they elucidate the impact of tDCS for different age groups and can help to define what is the appropriate intervention according to age in further clinical trials

The Putative Leishmania Telomerase RNA (LeishTER) Undergoes Trans-Splicing and Contains a Conserved Template Sequence

Telomerase RNAs (TERs) are highly divergent between species, varying in size and sequence composition. Here, we identify a candidate for the telomerase RNA component of Leishmania genus, which includes species that cause leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease. Merging a thorough computational screening combined with RNA-seq evidence, we mapped a non-coding RNA gene localized in a syntenic locus on chromosome 25 of five Leishmania species that shares partial synteny with both Trypanosoma brucei TER locus and a putative TER candidate-containing locus of Crithidia fasciculata. Using target-driven molecular biology approaches, we detected a ∼2,100 nt transcript (LeishTER) that contains a 5′ spliced leader (SL) cap, a putative 3′ polyA tail and a predicted C/D box snoRNA domain. LeishTER is expressed at similar levels in the logarithmic and stationary growth phases of promastigote forms. A 5′SL capped LeishTER co-immunoprecipitated and co-localized with the telomerase protein component (TERT) in a cell cycle-dependent manner. Prediction of its secondary structure strongly suggests the existence of a bona fide single-stranded template sequence and a conserved C[U/C]GUCA motif-containing helix II, representing the template boundary element. This study paves the way for further investigations on the biogenesis of parasite TERT ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) and its role in parasite telomere biology

Confining the Sol-Gel Reaction at the Water/Oil Interface:Creating Compartmentalized Enzymatic Nano-Organelles for Artificial Cells

Living organisms compartmentalize their catalytic reactions in membranes for increased efficiency and selectivity. To mimic the organelles of eukaryotic cells, we develop a mild approach for in situ encapsulating enzymes in aqueous-core silica nanocapsules. In order to confine the sol-gel reaction at the water/oil interface of miniemulsion, we introduce an aminosilane to the silica precursors, which serves as both catalyst and an amphiphilic anchor that electrostatically assembles with negatively charged hydrolyzed alkoxysilanes at the interface. The semi-permeable shell protects enzymes from proteolytic attack, and allows the transport of reactants and products. The enzyme-carrying nanocapsules, as synthetic nano-organelles, are able to perform cascade reactions when enveloped in a polymer vesicle, mimicking the hierarchically compartmentalized reactions in eukaryotic cells. This in situ encapsulation approach provides a versatile platform for the delivery of biomacromolecules.</p