Demands and opportunities for sustainable growth.

The promotion of sustained economic growth and the generation of decent work, central points of SDG 8, are directly related. Economic growth occurs due to an increase in the total volume of goods and services produced in an economy, through a positive variation of productive capacity, in order to meet human needs. In turn, one of the main variables that characterize the economic growth process is the employment level. Sustainable economic growth is associated with caring for social and environmental issues for current and future generations. Thus, for economic growth to occur in a sustainable way, it is necessary to create conditions that allow people to have quality jobs and stimulate the economy, without damaging the environmen

Fruticultura tropical: potenciais riscos e seus impactos.

Conforme o Plano Nacional de Desenvolvimento da Fruticultura (PNDF), a fruticultura brasileira é uma das mais diversificadas do mundo e a área de cultivo com frutas no país supera 2 milhões de hectares. Um dos resultados mais expressivos está na criação de empregos ao longo de toda a cadeia produtiva: na produção de insumos, no campo, na agroindústria, e na prestação de serviços de distribuição e logística, bem como no agroturismo, além da geração de renda nos mercados interno e externo.As projeções de demanda de frutas para os próximos anos indicam crescimento em ambos os mercados interno e externo. Essa perspectiva de incremento da demanda de frutas tropicais também vem acompanhada de uma série de riscos agropecuários, incluindo os ambientais, de mercado, fitossanitários, socioeconômicos, dentre outros, bem como de impactos nas esferas ambiental, econômica e social.Os riscos que a fruticultura tropical enfrenta estão atrelados ao processo produtivo e à comercialização. A atividade agrícola é fortemente marcada por uma especificidade que a diferencia da produção da indústria e do setor de serviços: a forte dependência dos recursos naturais (como terra, clima e solo). Essas condições, somadas ao mercado e às questões sociais, refletem os riscos que cercam a atividade da fruticultura.Este documento destaca que a agenda para o futuro da fruticultura tropical está baseada em recomendações para reduzir riscos que possam impedir uma maior competitividade da fruticultura brasileira. Um plano estratégico para uma melhor gestão de riscos agropecuários envolvendo a fruticultura deve ser implementado, iniciando-se por um diagnóstico da situação atual com uso das boas práticas e das ferramentas de gestão de riscos e de priorização.Além dos riscos, o documento aborda também uma relação entre os impactos, em seus diversos eixos (bioeconômicos, sustentabilidade, redução da pobreza, políticas públicas e fronteiras do conhecimento) e os riscos agropecuários da fruticultura. Enfim, esperamos que o documento, além de estimular a formulação de alternativas e estratégias para minimizar os riscos, seja útil para aqueles que buscam maiores conhecimentos sobre a gestão integrada de riscos na fruticultura tropical, como também os impactos envolvidos. Alberto Duarte VilarinhosChefe-geral da Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticulturabitstream/item/197322/1/Documento232-AureaGerum-Ainfo.pd

Viscoelastic properties of suspended cells measured with shear flow deformation cytometry

Numerous cell functions are accompanied by phenotypic changes in viscoelastic properties, and measuring them can help elucidate higher level cellular functions in health and disease. We present a high-throughput, simple and low-cost microfluidic method for quantitatively measuring the elastic (storage) and viscous (loss) modulus of individual cells. Cells are suspended in a high-viscosity fluid and are pumped with high pressure through a 5.8 cm long and 200 µm wide microfluidic channel. The fluid shear stress induces large, ear ellipsoidal cell deformations. In addition, the flow profile in the channel causes the cells to rotate in a tank-treading manner. From the cell deformation and tank treading frequency, we extract the frequency-dependent viscoelastic cell properties based on a theoretical framework developed by R. Roscoe [1] that describes the deformation of a viscoelastic sphere in a viscous fluid under steady laminar flow. We confirm the accuracy of the method using atomic force microscopy-calibrated polyacrylamide beads and cells. Our measurements demonstrate that suspended cells exhibit power-law, soft glassy rheological behavior that is cell-cycle-dependent and mediated by the physical interplay between the actin filament and intermediate filament networks

Stereotactic or conformal radiotherapy for adrenal metastases: patient characteristics and outcomes in a multicenter analysis

To report outcome (freedom from local progression: FFLP, overall survival: OS, and toxicity) after stereotactic, palliative, or highly conformal fractionated (> 12) radiotherapy (SBRT, Pall-RT, 3DCRT/IMRT) for adrenal metastases in a retrospective multicenter cohort within the framework of the German Society for Radiation Oncology (DEGRO). Adrenal metastases treated with SBRT (≤ 12 fractions, biologically effective dose, (BED10) ≥ 50 Gy), 3DCRT/IMRT (> 12 fractions, BED10 ≥ 50 Gy) or Pall-RT (BED10 < 50 Gy) were eligible for this analysis. In addition to unadjusted FFLP (Kaplan-Meier/Log-rank), we calculated the competing-risk-adjusted local recurrence rate (CRA-LRR). 326 patients with 366 metastases were included by 21 centers (median follow-up: 11.7 months). Treatment was SBRT, 3DCRT/IMRT, and Pall-RT in 260, 27, and 79 cases, respectively. Most frequent primary tumors were non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC; 52.5%), SCLC (16.3%), and melanoma (6.7%). Unadjusted FFLP was higher after SBRT v. Pall-RT (p = 0.026) while numerical differences in CRA-LRR between groups did not reach statistical significance (1-year CRA-LRR: 13.8%, 17.4%, and 27.7%). OS was longer after SBRT v. other groups (p < 0.05) and increased in patients with locally-controlled metastases in a landmark analysis (p < 0.0001). Toxicity was mostly mild; notably, 4 cases of adrenal insufficiency occurred, 2 of which were likely caused by immunotherapy or tumor progression. RT for adrenal metastases was associated with a mild toxicity profile in all groups and a favorable 1-year CRA-LRR after SBRT or 3DCRT/IMRT. 1-year FFLP was associated with longer OS. Dose-response analyses for the dataset are underway

Interobserver agreement on definition of the target volume in stereotactic radiotherapy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma using different imaging modalities

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate interobserver agreement (IOA) on target volume definition for pancreatic cancer (PACA) within the Radiosurgery and Stereotactic Radiotherapy Working Group of the German Society of Radiation Oncology (DEGRO) and to identify the influence of imaging modalities on the definition of the target volumes. METHODS Two cases of locally advanced PACA and one local recurrence were selected from a large SBRT database. Delineation was based on either a planning 4D CT with or without (w/wo) IV contrast, w/wo PET/CT, and w/wo diagnostic MRI. Novel compared to other studies, a combination of four metrics was used to integrate several aspects of target volume segmentation: the Dice coefficient (DSC), the Hausdorff distance (HD), the probabilistic distance (PBD), and the volumetric similarity (VS). RESULTS For all three GTVs, the median DSC was 0.75 (range 0.17-0.95), the median HD 15 (range 3.22-67.11) mm, the median PBD 0.33 (range 0.06-4.86), and the median VS was 0.88 (range 0.31-1). For ITVs and PTVs the results were similar. When comparing the imaging modalities for delineation, the best agreement for the GTV was achieved using PET/CT, and for the ITV and PTV using 4D PET/CT, in treatment position with abdominal compression. CONCLUSION Overall, there was good GTV agreement (DSC). Combined metrics appeared to allow a more valid detection of interobserver variation. For SBRT, either 4D PET/CT or 3D PET/CT in treatment position with abdominal compression leads to better agreement and should be considered as a very useful imaging modality for the definition of treatment volumes in pancreatic SBRT. Contouring does not appear to be the weakest link in the treatment planning chain of SBRT for PACA

Desenvolvimento e sustentabilidade na fruticultura de exportação.

A fruticultura brasileira de exportação de frutas frescas e de sucos, com base em ciência, organização e políticas públicas, tem apresentado um desenvolvimento expressivo ao longo das últimas 3 décadas. Avanços tecnológicos nas fases de produção e pós-colheita determinaram ganhos elevados em produtividade, qualidade e sustentabilidade socioeconômica e ambiental, com destaque para os efeitos poupa-terra e para a economia no uso de recursos naturaisbitstream/item/222983/1/Desenvolvimento-e-sustentabilidade-na-fruticultura-2021.pd

Local Cooperativity in an Amyloidogenic State of Human Lysozyme Observed at Atomic Resolution

The partial unfolding of human lysozyme underlies its conversion from the soluble state into amyloid fibrils observed in a fatal hereditary form of systemic amyloidosis. To understand the molecular origins of the disease, it is critical to characterize the structural and physicochemical properties of the amyloidogenic states of the protein. Here we provide a high-resolution view of the unfolding process at low pH for three different lysozyme variants, the wild-type protein and the mutants I56T and I59T, which show variable stabilities and propensities to aggregate in vitro. Using a range of biophysical techniques that includes differential scanning calorimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we demonstrate that thermal unfolding under amyloidogenic solution conditions involves a cooperative loss of native tertiary structure, followed by progressive unfolding of a compact, molten globule-like denatured state ensemble as the temperature is increased. The width of the temperature window over which the denatured ensemble progressively unfolds correlates with the relative amyloidogenicity and stability of these variants, and the region of lysozyme that unfolds first maps to that which forms the core of the amyloid fibrils formed under similar conditions. Together, these results present a coherent picture at atomic resolution of the initial events underlying amyloid formation by a globular protein

The impact of local control on overall survival after stereotactic body radiotherapy for liver and lung metastases from colorectal cancer: a combined analysis of 388 patients with 500 metastases

Background: The aim of this analysis was to model the effect of local control (LC) on overall survival (OS) in patients treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for liver or lung metastases from colorectal cancer. Methods: The analysis is based on pooled data from two retrospective SBRT databases for pulmonary and hepatic metastases from 27 centers from Germany and Switzerland. Only patients with metastases from colorectal cancer were considered to avoid histology as a confounding factor. An illness-death model was employed to model the relationship between LC and OS. Results: Three hundred eighty-eight patients with 500 metastatic lesions (lung n = 209, liver n = 291) were included and analyzed. Median follow-up time for local recurrence assessment was 12.1 months. Ninety-nine patients with 112 lesions experienced local failure. Seventy-one of these patients died after local failure. Median survival time was 27.9 months in all patients and 25.4 months versus 30.6 months in patients with and without local failure after SBRT. The baseline risk of death after local failure exceeds the baseline risk of death without local failure at 10 months indicating better survival with LC. Conclusion: In CRC patients with lung or liver metastases, our findings suggest improved long-term OS by achieving metastatic disease control using SBRT in patients with a projected OS estimate of > 12 months