Maize nitrogen use efficiency is affected by pig slurry composting and anaerobic digestion.

ABSTRACT: We assessed the nitrogen use efficiency of maize amended with mineral and organic N sources in a Nitisol from Southern Brazil under contrasting soil tillage systems: conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT). The tested N sources were: 140 kg N ha-1 (total N input) either as mineral fertilizer (urea; MIN), pig slurry (PS), anaerobically digested pig slurry (ADS) and composted pig slurry (CS), besides a control without fertilization (CTR). The N-based application of PS and ADS supplied less than 74% of the maize requirements for P2O5 (115 kg ha-1 ), while CS exceeded P2O5 demand by up to 109%. PS and ADS promoted maize N uptake, biomass production and grain yield similar or higher than maize receiving mineral fertilizer (urea). However, CS promoted significantly lower N agronomic efficiency (AEN) and recovery efficiency (REN) than other fertilizers. CS should be primarily used as a source of P and K or as an amendment to recover SOM stocks in degraded soils

Soil organic carbon pools as affected by tillage systems and organic nitrogen sources.

ABSTRACT: We assessed the impact of organic N sources on total organic carbon (TOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) pools in a Nitisol from Southern Brazil under contrasting soil tillage systems. The tillage systems were conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT). The tested N sources were: 140 kg N ha-1 (total N input) either as mineral fertilizer (urea; MIN), pig slurry (PS), anaerobically digested pig slurry (ADS) and composted pig slurry (CS), besides a control without fertilization (CTR). TOC stocks decreased by 1.0 and 5.1 Mg C ha-1 after two years of CT in both 0-5 and 0-30 cm soil layers, respectively. NT increased TOC stocks by 2.3 Mg C ha-1 at the soil surface and decrease by 1.7 Mg C ha-1 at the 0-30 cm soil layer. NT had higher POC and MAOC stocks than the CT soil. POC was a more sensitive pool than MAOC in response to soil tillage and fertilization practices. Long-term and continuous assessment of SOC pools is needed for evaluation of the impact of organic N sources for C sequestration in NT soil

Prevention and Treatment of Sarcopenic Obesity in Women

Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is referred to as the combination of obesity with low skeletal muscle mass and function. However, its definition and diagnosis is debated. SO represents a sizable risk factor for the development of disability, possibly with a worse prognosis in women. The present narrative review summarizes the current evidence on pharmacological, nutrition and exercise strategies on the prevention and/or treatment of SO in middle-aged and older-aged women. A literature search was carried out in Medline and Google Scholar between 29th January and 14th March 2019. Only controlled intervention studies on mid-age and older women whose focus was on the prevention and/or treatment of sarcopenia associated with obesity were included. Resistance training (RT) appears effective in the prevention of all components of SO in women, resulting in significant improvements in muscular mass, strength, and functional capacity plus loss of fat mass, especially when coupled with hypocaloric diets containing at least 0.8 g/kg body weight protein. Correction of vitamin D deficit has a favorable effect on muscle mass. Treatment of SO already established is yet unsatisfactory, although intense and prolonged RT, diets with higher (1.2 g/kg body weight) protein content, and soy isoflavones all look promising. However, further confirmatory research and trials combining different approaches are required

Carbon Nanotubes by a CVD Method. Part I: Synthesis and Characterization of the (Mg, Fe)O Catalysts

The controlled synthesis of carbon nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition requires tailored and wellcharacterized catalyst materials. We attempted to synthesize Mg1-xFexO oxide solid solutions by the combustion route, with the aim of performing a detailed investigation of the influence of the synthesis conditions (nitrate/urea ratio and the iron content) on the valency and distribution of the iron ions and phases. Notably, characterization of the catalyst materials is performed using 57Fe Mo¨ssbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy. Several iron species are detected including Fe2+ ions substituting for Mg2+ in the MgO lattice, Fe3+ ions dispersed in the octahedral sites of MgO, different clusters of Fe3+ ions, and MgFe2O4-like nanoparticles. The dispersion of these species and the microstructure of the oxides are discussed. Powders markedly different from one another that may serve as model systems for further study are identified. The formation of carbon nanotubes upon reduction in a H2/CH4 gas atmosphere of the selected powders is reported in a companion paper

ENERGÍA CINÉTICA PRODUCIDA EN FOTOELECTRONES DE CU INDUCIDO POR FOTONES DE ALTA ENERGÍA DE LA LUZ

El efecto fotoeléctrico en el cobre ha sido estudiado desde distintos ámbitos alterando cualquiera de sus propiedades. Para este estudio en particular el cobre se considera en su estado natural y contemplando la función de trabajo del metal se propusieron 5 escenarios de estudio en los que se varía la frecuencia de onda de la luz para analizar y cuantificar la energía cinética en los fotoelectrones emitidos. Analíticamente se obtuvieron los valores para cada caso de estudio y numéricamente se generaron gráficas en las que se observa el comportamiento de la energía cinética frente a la frecuencia y longitud de onda inducidas. El espectro electromagnético UV es el último en el que se puede presentar el efecto fotoeléctrico en el Cu, el valor obtenido es de 4.562 〖 X10 〗 ^(-17) J y representa la menor energía cinética generada en los fotoelectrones mientras que 6.625 〖 X10 〗 ^(-10) J es el valor máximo en radiación gamma (γ).