STEM TAPER EQUATION WITH EXTENSIVE APPLICABILITY TO SEVERAL AGE CLASSES OF Pinus taeda L.

The aim of this study was to develop stem taper equations for trees of Pinus taeda L. inside and outside bark with extensive applicability to several age classes. Data were obtained from 631 trees of P. taeda, ranging from 4 to 31 years of age, in different stands distributed in several counties of the Midwest region of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The taper models of Biging (1984), Schöpfer (1966), and Kozak et al. (1969) were tested. These models were fitted in their simplest formulation as well as by varying their coefficient linear functions of stand age with the procedure PROC NLIN in the software SAS® University Edition. There were no significant differences in accuracy and precision in the estimates between the simplest formulation of the Schöpfer (1966) model and the variation of its coefficient b linear function of age, and thus, the simplest formulation was chosen. Among all taper models tested, the Schöpfer (1966) model presented greater accuracy and precision to estimate diameters inside and outside bark, throughout the stem of Pinus taeda, in the Midwest region of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil.The aim of this study was to develop stem taper equations for trees of Pinus taeda L. inside and outside bark with extensive applicability to several age classes. Data were obtained from 631 trees of P. taeda, ranging from 4 to 31 years of age, in different stands distributed in several counties of the Midwest region of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The taper models of Biging (1984), Schöpfer (1966), and Kozak et al. (1969) were tested. These models were fitted in their simplest formulation as well as by varying their coefficient linear functions of stand age with the procedure PROC NLIN in the software SAS® University Edition. There were no significant differences in accuracy and precision in the estimates between the simplest formulation of the Schöpfer (1966) model and the variation of its coefficient b linear function of age, and thus, the simplest formulation was chosen. Among all taper models tested, the Schöpfer (1966) model presented greater accuracy and precision to estimate diameters inside and outside bark, throughout the stem of Pinus taeda, in the Midwest region of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Micronutrients of above-ground bracatinga biomass under different sites, ages and diameter classes

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo quantificar e analisar as concentrações e conteúdos de micronutrientes da biomassa aérea de bracatinga sob diferentes classes de sítio, idade e diâmetro, na região metropolitana de Curitiba, Estado do Paraná. Foram amostradas 25 árvores em diversas localidades da área de estudo, as quais foram separadas nos seguintes compartimentos da biomassa: folhas, galhos Fe > Cu > Zn. O compartimento da biomassa aérea que apresentou as maiores quantidades de micronutrientes foi a madeira. As concentrações de micronutrientes não apresentaram tendências claras de aumento ou diminuição com nenhum dos fatores analisados. Somente os diâmetros exerceram efeitos significativos e consistentes sobre os conteúdos de micronutrientes da biomassa aérea de bracatinga na região metropolitana de Curitiba.Palavras-chave: Mimosa scabrella; nutrientes; ciclagem de nutrientes; biomassa. AbstractMicronutrients of above-ground bracatinga biomass under different sites, ages and diameter classes.The aims of this research were to quantify and analyze the micronutrient concentration and content of Mimosa scabrella above-ground biomass under different sites, ages and diameter classes, in Curitiba metropolitan region, Paraná State, Brazil. Twenty five trees were sampled in several localities of the study area, which were separated in different biomass components, as follow: leaves, twigs, branches, stem wood and bark. After the biomass survey in the field, samples of each tree component were carried out to the laboratory for dry weight and micronutrient determination. The trees were grouped by site, age and diameter classes, which constituted the treatments of a completely random statistical design. According to the results, the micronutrient concentrations assumed a decreasing order as follow: Mn > Fe > Cu > Zn. The stem wood presented the highest quantity of micronutrient, considering the tree above-ground biomass. The micronutrient concentrations didn’t present clear tendencies according to site, age and diameter classes. Only the diameter classes had exerted significant and coherent effects on the micronutrient contents of the studied species.Keywords: Mimosa scabrella; nutrients; nutrient cycling; biomass.The aims of this research were to quantify and analyze the micronutrient concentration and content of Mimosa scabrella above-ground biomass under different sites, ages and diameter classes, in Curitiba metropolitan region, Paraná State, Brazil. Twenty five trees were sampled in several localities of the study area, which were separated in different biomass components, as follow: leaves, twigs, branches, stem wood and bark. After the biomass survey in the field, samples of each tree component were carried out to the laboratory for dry weight and micronutrient determination. The trees were grouped by site, age and diameter classes, which constituted the treatments of a completely random statistical design. According to the results, the micronutrient concentrations assumed a decreasing order as follow: Mn > Fe > Cu > Zn. The stem wood presented the highest quantity of micronutrient, considering the tree above-ground biomass. The micronutrient concentrations didn’t present clear tendencies according to site, age and diameter classes. Only the diameter classes had exerted significant and coherent effects on the micronutrient contents of the studied species

CONCENTRATION AND CONTENT OF MACRONUTRIENT IN THE Mimosa scabrella BENTHAM BIOMASS, AT DIFFERENT SITE, AGE AND DIAMETER CLASSES

The aims of this work were to quantify and to evaluate macronutrient concentration and content of the Mimosa scabrella Bentham above-ground biomass under different site, age and diameter classes. Twenty five trees were sampled in several stands of the Curitiba metropolitan region, Paraná State, Brazil. In the field, the trees were measured and separated in leaves, twigs, branches, stem wood and bark. Later on, a fraction of each tree component was carried to the laboratory for the determination of dry weight and macronutrient. The site, age and diameter class effects were evaluated by completely random statistic design. The results showed that, the macronutrient concentration by compartment of biomass presented the following decreasing order: leaves > stem bark > twigs > branches > stem wood. The macronutrient content in the stem wood presented the highest quantity. According to the results, the macronutrient concentrations of the Mimosa scabrella above-ground biomass didn’t show any relationship with the age and diameter classes, on the other hand, P and K leaf concentrations increased with site quality. There was no relationship between macronutrient content of the Mimosa scabrella above-ground biomass, site and age classes. Nevertheless, diameter classes presented a significant and coherent influence over macronutrient content, which increases with the diameter classes.Os objetivos deste trabalho foram quantificar e avaliar as concentrações e conteúdos de macronutrientes na biomassa aérea de bracatinga (Mimosa scabrella Bentham) sob diferentes classes de sítio, idade e diâmetro. Ao todo, 25 árvores foram amostradas em diferentes bracatingais da região metropolitana de Curitiba, no Estado do Paraná. No campo, as árvores foram medidas e separadas nos seguintes compartimentos da biomassa: folhas, galhos casca > galhos > madeira. O compartimento da biomassa que apresentou os maiores conteúdos de macronutrientes foi a madeira. De acordo com os resultados, as concentrações de macronutrientes na biomassa aérea de bracatinga não apresentaram relação direta com as classes de idade e diâmetro e somente as concentrações de P e K nas folhas diminuíram da melhor para a pior classe de sítio. Não foram observadas relações de aumento ou diminuição entre os conteúdos de macronutrientes da biomassa de bracatinga e as diferentes classes de sítio e idade, entretanto, estes foram diretamente proporcionais aos diâmetros das árvores

Comparison of the whole slide imaging and conventional light microscopy in the grading of oral epithelial dysplasia:a multi-institutional study

Whole Slide Imaging (WSI) is an alternative method to light microscopy (LM). However, few studies have compared the diagnostic agreement between WSI and LM, especially to grade oral epithelial dysplasia (OED). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the variability in grading OED by the World Health Organization grading system, using WSI and conventional LM, and to investigate whether the access to clinical information, and psychologic or physical states of the pathologists could interfere with the diagnosis. eleven experienced pathologists from seven Brazilian universities independently evaluated twenty-five OED cases. The analyses were performed in duplicate for each method, with an interval of at least 30 days, and the time consumed in each analysis was measured. Physical and psychologic states were evaluated by blood pressure levels, heart rate and two questionnaires: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Perceived Stress Scale. Clinical information was provided after the second evaluation using WSI and the pathologist could change their diagnostic decision or not. LM showed a higher inter-examiner agreement (k=0.53) than WSI (k=0.45) and a smaller time consumed by the pathologists (mean of 65.53 seconds compared to 91.02 seconds in WSI). In the first analysis using conventional microscopy, there was a positive correlation between kappa values and anxiety (r=0.47, p=0.02), and stress (r=0.64, p<0.01), and an inverse correlation with heart rate (r=-0.48, p=0.02). In the digital analysis, there was also a positive correlation between kappa values and anxiety (r=0.75, p<0.001). After clinical information was given, there was a slight change in 11.3% of the cases, and a great discrepancy in 1.1% of the cases, mainly increasing the OED grade. both microscopy systems had similar results, although LM had slightly higher kappa values, and WSI was more time consuming

Grouping tree species of a tropical forest based on soil characteristics

A competição por nutrientes é um dos principais fatores que regulam tamanho e distribuição das populações arbóreas nos ecossistemas florestais da Amazônia, dada sua escassez na maioria dos solos da região. O objetivo deste trabalho foi agrupar parte das espécies arbóreas de uma floresta, por meio das características do solo. Foram utilizados dados de 32 espécies mais abundantes, distribuídas em 240 subparcelas de 10x10 m, localizadas em 12 parcelas de 1 ha, aleatoriamente demarcadas em uma floresta primária do Estado do Amapá, Amazônia Oriental. De acordo com técnicas de análises multivariadas, separaram-se as espécies em três grupos, que ocuparam diferentes faixas de variáveis químicas e texturais de solo. As variáveis de solo mais importantes na separação dos grupos foram Ca, Mg, K e Al. As espécies da família Melastomataceae concentraram suas populações em condições relacionadas a indicadores de menor fertilidade do solo. Os resultados sugerem que o substrato exerce papel importante no tamanho e na distribuição das populações arbóreas na floresta primária estudada.Among the factors that regulate size and distribution of tree populations in many forest ecosystems of Amazonia, competition for soil nutrients can be mentioned as one of the most important, due to its scarcity in most of the soils of that region. The objective of this work was to group part of the arboreal species of the tropical forest based on soil characteristics. The data of 32 more abundant species of a primary forest of Amapá State, Eastern Amazonia, distributed in 240 subplots of 10x10 m, located in 12 plots of 1 ha, randomly demarcated was used. According to cluster and canonical discriminate analysis, species were grouped into three clusters that represent ranges of chemical and textural variables of soil. The most important variables for contrasting of groups were Ca, Mg, K and Al. The species of Melastomataceae, concentrated their populations along conditions related to lower soil fertility. Results suggest that the substrate plays an important role on size and distribution of tree populations at the primary forest studied

Digit Ratio (2D:4D) and cancer: What is known so far?

The ratio between the second and fourth digits is a proxy marker for prenatal exposure and sensitivity to sexual hormones, which can be genetically influenced. The influence of prenatal hormone exposure can reflect on adult life traits such as psychological traits, athletic performance and diseases such as cardiovascular. An important and newly explored field on digit ratio research is its correlation to different types of cancer, as a marker for prevalence and severity. In this review, the different types of cancer already correlated to digit ratios are discussed.----------------------------------------------Cite this article as: Hopp RN, Lima N, Filho J, Sena-Filho M, Samuel RO, Amaral JG, Jorge J. Digit Ratio (2D:4D) and cancer: What is known so far? Int J Cancer Ther Oncol 2014; 2(1):020111.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14319/ijcto.0201.1

Database Survey of Anti-Inflammatory Plants in South America: A Review

Inflammation is a complex event linked to tissue damage whether by bacteria, physical trauma, chemical, heat or any other phenomenon. This physiological response is coordinated largely by a variety of chemical mediators that are released from the epithelium, the immunocytes and nerves of the lamina propria. However, if the factor that triggers the inflammation persists, the inflammation can become relentless, leading to an intensification of the lesion. The present work is a literature survey of plant extracts from the South American continent that have been reported to show anti-inflammatory activity. This review refers to 63 bacterial families of which the following stood out: Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Apocynaceae and Celastraceae, with their countries, parts used, types of extract used, model bioassays, organisms tested and their activity