Substrato com Organosuper® para formação de mudas de pepineiro em ambientes protegidos e bandejas de poliestireno

Culture environments, trays and doses of organic compost were evaluated in the formation of cucumber seedlings (Cucumis sativus L.). Five environmental conditions were tested: (A1) a greenhouse with height of 2.5 m, covered with polyethylene film, (A2) nursery with height of 2.5 m, monofilament fabric, 50% shading, (A3) nursery with height of 2.5 m, heat-reflective screen, 50% shading, (A4) nursery with a height of 1.8 m, covered with coconut tree straw and (A5) greenhouse with height of 4.0 m, covered with polyethylene film, with zenith opening and thermo-reflective cloth under the plastic. Trays of 72 (R1) and 128 (R2) cells were filled with 93% soil and 7% organic compound (S1), 86% soil and 14% organic compound (S2) and 79% soil and 21% organic compound (S3). It was used a randomized design in split-split-plot scheme, with five replicates (environments x trays x substrates). The greenhouses provide the best environments for the formation of cucumber seedlings. A tray of 72 cells is the best container, promoting more vigorous seedlings in substrate with soil and 7 or 14% organic compound.Ambientes de cultivo, bandejas e doses de composto orgânico foram avaliados na formação de mudas de pepino (Cucumis sativus L.). Cinco ambientes de cultivo foram testados: (A1) estufa agrícola com altura de 2,5 m coberta com filme de polietileno; (A2) viveiro com altura de 2,5 m, tela de monofilamento com 50% de sombreamento; (A3) viveiro com altura de 2,5 m, tela termorrefletora, com 50% de sombreamento; (A4) viveiro com altura de 1,8 m, coberto com palha de coqueiro, e (A5) estufa agrícola com altura de 4,0 m, coberta com filme de polietileno, com abertura zenital e tela termorrefletora sob o filme. Bandejas de 72 (R1) e 128 (R2) células foram preenchidas com 93% de solo e 7% de composto orgânico (S1); 86% de solo e 14% de composto orgânico (S2), e 79% de solo e 21% de composto orgânico (S3). Utilizou-se um delineamento inteiramente casualizado, em esquema de parcelas subsubdivididas, com cinco repetições (ambientes x bandejas x substratos). As estufas agrícolas propiciam os melhores ambientes para a formação das mudas de pepino. A bandeja de 72 células é o melhor recipiente, promovendo plântulas mais vigorosas no substrato com solo e 7 ou 14 % de composto orgânico.22623

Discordant MZ twins With Cleft Lip and Palate: a model for identifying genes in complex traits.

Monozygotic (MZ) twins may be discordant for complex traits due to differential environmental exposure in utero, epigenetic variability in imprinting, X chromosome inactivation, or stochastic effects. Occasionally MZ twins may be discordant for chromosomal and single gene disorders due to somatic mosaicism. For complex traits, which are due to the interactive effects of multiple genes and environmental factors, the affected twin of a discordant MZ pair offers the possibility for identifying somatic mutations in candidate genes. DNA sequencing of candidate genes in discordant MZ twins can identify those rare etiologic mutational events responsible for the different phenotypes since the confounding effects of common single nucleotide polymorphisms are eliminated, as DNA sequences should be identical in MZ pairs. In this report we describe the extensive DNA sequencing of 18 candidate genes in a sample of MZ and dizygotic (DZ) twins with nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate. We were unable to identify any somatic differences in approximately 34 Kb of DNA sequenced in 13 MZ pairs, for a total of approximately 900 Kb of sequence comparisons, supporting the hypothesis that nonetiologic posttwinning mutations are rare. While no etiologic variants were identified in this study, sequence comparisons of discordant MZ twins can serve as a tool for identifying etiologic mutations in clefting and other complex traits

Estado del arte de la quinua en el mundo en 2013

Alimento de base de las poblaciones andinas desde hace milenios, la quinua se ha convertido hoy en un producto apreciado en el mercado internacional de alimentos dietéticos, orgánicos y equitativos. Este cambio lo iniciaron los mismos productores del Altiplano Sur de Bolivia hace aproximadamente unos 40 años. En medio de un desierto de altura, ellos lograron desarrollar una floreciente producción agrícola de exportación. Aunque cuentan con lucrativos nichos de mercado, los productores de quinua no son agricultores especializados, ni residen de forma permanente en la zona de producción. Estas son algunas de las paradojas que caracterizan la producción de quinua en el Altiplano Sur de Bolivia. Después de describir el origen, la diversidad y los rasgos biológicos del ecotipo Quinua Real en el cual se basa la producción de esta zona, se plantea la importancia de la quinua en los agrosistemas locales y, más allá, en los sistemas de actividades agrícolas y no agrícolas manejados por las familias del Altiplano Sur. Movilidad geográfica y pluriactividad forman parte del modo de vida ancestral de estas poblaciones y determinan hasta hoy en día las condiciones de uso de los recursos territoriales y la organización de los productores en el contexto del auge comercial de la quinua. La producción actual de quinua en la región presenta rasgos de vulnerabilidad agroecológica y social, así como capacidades adaptativas para enfrentarlos. Se resaltan como puntos clave para la sostenibilidad de los agrosistemas locales : i) la concertación de reglas comunales e individuales para el acceso y uso de la tierra en agrosistemas socialmente equitativos y equilibrados entre cultivo y ganadería, ii) las normas internacionales para el reconocimiento de la Quinua Real en los mercados de exportación, iii) una actualización continua de las reglas y normas para mantener la adaptabilidad de los agrosistemas locales a los cambios imprevisibles del contexto socio-ecológico a varias escalas de espacio y de tiempo

Curcumin encapsulation in nanostructures for cancer therapy: a 10-year overview

Journal pre-proofsCurcumin (CUR) is a phenolic compound present in some herbs, including Curcuma longa Linn. (turmeric rhizome), with a high bioactive capacity and characteristic yellow color. It is mainly used as a spice, although it has been found that CUR has interesting pharmaceutical properties, acting as a natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antitumoral agent. Nonetheless, CUR is a hydrophobic compound with low water solubility, poor chemical stability, and fast metabolism, limiting its use as a pharmacological compound. Smart drug delivery systems (DDS) have been used to overcome its low bioavailability and improve its stability. The current work overviews the literature from the past 10 years on the encapsulation of CUR in nanostructured systems, such as micelles, liposomes, niosomes, nanoemulsions, hydrogels, and nanocomplexes, emphasizing its use and ability in cancer therapy. The studies highlighted in this review have shown that these nanoformulations achieved higher solubility, improved tumor cytotoxicity, prolonged CUR release, and reduced side effects, among other interesting advantages.This study was funded by the Coordination for Higher Level Graduate Improvements (CAPES/Brazil, finance code 001), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/Brazil, PIBIC process #123483/2020-4), State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP/Brazil, processes #2017/10789-1, #2018/10799-0, #2018/06475-4, #2018/07707-6, #2019/08549-8, and #2020/03727-2). This work was also supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit and the project AgriFood XXI (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000041) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Our Figures were created with BioRenderinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessing the carcinogenic potential of low-dose exposures to chemical mixtures in the environment: the challenge ahead.

Lifestyle factors are responsible for a considerable portion of cancer incidence worldwide, but credible estimates from the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) suggest that the fraction of cancers attributable to toxic environmental exposures is between 7% and 19%. To explore the hypothesis that low-dose exposures to mixtures of chemicals in the environment may be combining to contribute to environmental carcinogenesis, we reviewed 11 hallmark phenotypes of cancer, multiple priority target sites for disruption in each area and prototypical chemical disruptors for all targets, this included dose-response characterizations, evidence of low-dose effects and cross-hallmark effects for all targets and chemicals. In total, 85 examples of chemicals were reviewed for actions on key pathways/mechanisms related to carcinogenesis. Only 15% (13/85) were found to have evidence of a dose-response threshold, whereas 59% (50/85) exerted low-dose effects. No dose-response information was found for the remaining 26% (22/85). Our analysis suggests that the cumulative effects of individual (non-carcinogenic) chemicals acting on different pathways, and a variety of related systems, organs, tissues and cells could plausibly conspire to produce carcinogenic synergies. Additional basic research on carcinogenesis and research focused on low-dose effects of chemical mixtures needs to be rigorously pursued before the merits of this hypothesis can be further advanced. However, the structure of the World Health Organization International Programme on Chemical Safety 'Mode of Action' framework should be revisited as it has inherent weaknesses that are not fully aligned with our current understanding of cancer biology

Normative resistance to responsibility to protect in times of emerging multipolarity: the cases of Brazil and Russia

This article assesses the normative resistance to Responsibility to Protect adopted by Brazil and Russia against the backdrop of their international identities and self-assigned roles in a changing global order. Drawing upon the framework of Bloomsfield's norm dynamics role spectrum, it argues that while the ambiguous Russian role regarding this principle represents an example of 'norm antipreneurship', particularities of Brazil's resistance are better grasped by a new category left unaccounted for by this model, which this study portrays as 'contesting entrepreneur'.- (undefined

Proposal for a method to estimate nutrient shock effects in bacteria

Plating methods are still the golden standard in microbiology; however, some studies have shown that these techniques can underestimate the microbial concentrations and diversity. A nutrient shock is one of the mechanisms proposed to explain this phenomenon. In this study, a tentative method to assess nutrient shock effects was tested. Findings To estimate the extent of nutrient shock effects, two strains isolated from tap water (Sphingomonas capsulata and Methylobacterium sp.) and two culture collection strains (E. coli CECT 434 and Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525) were exposed both to low and high nutrient conditions for different times and then placed in low nutrient medium (R2A) and rich nutrient medium (TSA). The average improvement (A.I.) of recovery between R2A and TSA for the different times was calculated to more simply assess the difference obtained in culturability between each medium. As expected, A.I. was higher when cells were plated after the exposition to water than when they were recovered from high-nutrient medium showing the existence of a nutrient shock for the diverse bacteria used. S. capsulata was the species most affected by this phenomenon. This work provides a method to consistently determine the extent of nutrient shock effects on different microorganisms and hence quantify the ability of each species to deal with sudden increases in substrate concentration. <br/