Infestação e danos de Cinara atlantica relacionados com o estado nutricional e hídrico em mudas de Pinus taeda.

Foi avaliada a resposta de populações de Cinara atlantica ao estado nutricional de mudas de Pinus taeda L., em condições de campo no município de Três Barras (SC), e ao estresse hídrico, em casa de vegetação em Colombo (PR). Em casa de vegetação, foram avaliados 4 tratamentos com 30 mudas cada: plantas não-estressadas (com 60% da capacidade de campo) e estressadas (com 30% da capacidade de campo), ambos com e sem insetos. Cada planta foi infestada com 10 ninfas de 3º e 4º instar. Semanalmente, era contado o número de afídeos, medidos a altura e o diâmetro de todas as plantas e acrescentado o volume de água correspondente. Em campo, foram plantadas 60 plantas, das quais, quinzenalmente, 15 plantas eram arrancadas ao acaso, contando-se o número de afídeos por planta e analisando-se o estado nutricional, durante dois meses. Constatou-se que o aumento do teor de nitrogênio nas mudas de P. taeda correlaciona-se diretamente com o aumento no número de insetos. As mudas com estresse hídrico apresentaram maiores teores de nitrogênio e incidência de pulgões. Em casa de vegetação, as plantas apresentaram menor crescimento em altura na presença de insetos, com ou sem estresse hídrico. As mudas infestadas apresentaram maior crescimento em diâmetro, independentemente do estresse hídrico, no tempo observado e condições do estudo

Associações entre Cinara atlantica, seus inimigos naturais e formigas.

O estudo das relações existentes entre espécies ou populações é uma excelente ferramenta para se conhecer os fenômenos ecológicos. Dentre as interações possíveis entre duas espécies destaca-se o mutualismo entre formigas e insetos que produzem honeydew. Enquanto o honeydew é um "lixo" para os afídeos, pode ser fonte de alimento para as formigas. O tipo de interação existente entre afídeos e seus inimigos naturais, denominada "predação intraguildas" ou predação por inimigos naturais que dividem a mesma presa, é uma interação que ocorre nas comunidades de afídeos. A maioria dos inimigos naturais nesse sistema interage assimetricamente em função das diferenças no tamanho do corpo, estratégia de alimentação e prioridades de cada espécie. Em agroecossistemas, a consequência dessa relação torna-se particularmente importante para o controle biológico de pragas de importância econômica. No Brasil, existem poucas publicações sobre a associação entre formigas, afídeos e seus inimigos naturais, principalmente na área florestal. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivos organizar a informação de estudos que enfocam essas associações e discutir um caso real envolvendo o pulgão-gigante-do-pinus, Cinara atlantica (Hemiptera: Aphididae), seus inimigos naturais e as formigas Solenopsis invicta e Camponotus rufipes, em plantios de Pinus taeda.Artigo de revisão

FPGA-based real-time data processing for accelerating reconstruction at LHCb

In run-3, beginning in 2022, the LHCb software trigger will start reconstructing events at the LHC average crossing rate of 30 MHz. Within the upgraded DAQ system, LHCb established a testbed for new heterogeneous computing solutions for real-time event reconstruction, in view of future runs at even higher luminosities. One such solution is a highly-parallelized custom tracking processor ("Artificial Retina"), implemented in state of the art FPGA devices connected by fast serial links. We describe the status of a realistic prototype for the reconstruction of pixel tracking detectors that will run on real data during run-3

Modern meson--exchange potential and superfluid neutron star crust matter

In this work we study properties of neutron star crusts, where matter is expected to consist of nuclei surrounded by superfluid neutrons and a homogeneous background of relativistic electrons. The nuclei are disposed in a Coulomb lattice, and it is believed that the structure of the lattice influences considerably the specific heat of the neutronic matter inside the crust of a neutron star. Using a modern meson--exchange potential in the framework of a local--density approximation we calculate the neutronic specific heat accounting for various shapes of the Coulomb lattice, from spherical to non--spherical nuclear shapes. We find that a realistic nucleon--nucleon potential leads to a significant increase in the neutronic specific heat with respect to that obtained assuming a uniform neutron distribution. The increase is largest for the non--spherical phase of the crust. These results may have consequences for the thermal history of young neutron stars.Comment: Revtex, 5 pages, 4 figures included as uuencoded p

Primeiro relato do pulgão cerataphis brasiliensis (Hempel) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) atacando mudas de duas espécies de tucumanzeiro (Astrocaryum spp.): descrição e controle.

bitstream/item/31738/1/Com-tec-223.pdfVersão eletrônica disponível em papel

Maternal Hypertension Increases Risk of Preeclampsia and Low Fetal Birthweight:Genetic Evidence From a Mendelian Randomization Study

BACKGROUND: Maternal cardiovascular risk factors have been associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Given the difficulty in establishing causal relationships using epidemiological data, we applied Mendelian randomization to explore the role of cardiovascular risk factors on risk of developing pre-eclampsia or eclampsia, and low fetal birthweight. METHODS: Uncorrelated single nucleotide polymorphisms associated systolic blood pressure, body mass index, type 2 diabetes mellitus, low-density lipoprotein with cholesterol, smoking, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio and estimated glomerular filtration rate at genome-wide significance in studies of 298,957 to 1,201,909 European ancestry participants were selected as instrumental variables. A two-sample Mendelian randomization study was performed with primary outcome of pre-eclampsia or eclampsia (PET). Risk factors associated with PET were further investigated for their association with low birthweight. RESULTS: Higher genetically-predicted systolic blood pressure was associated increased risk of PET [odds ratio (OR) per 1-SD systolic blood pressure increase 1.90 (95% confidence interval (CI)1.45-2.49;p=3.23x10(-6) and reduced birthweight (OR=0.83; 95%CI=0.79-0.86;p=3.96x10(-18)), and this was not mediated by PET. Body mass index and type 2 diabetes were also associated with PET (respectively, OR per 1-SD body mass index increase=1.67 95%CI=1.44-1.94,;p=7.45x10(-12); and OR per logOR increase type 2 diabetes=1.11 95%CI=1.04-1.19p;=1.19x10(-3)), but not with reduced birthweight. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide evidence for causal effects of systolic blood pressure, body mass index and type 2 diabetes on PET, and identify that systolic blood pressure is associated with reduced birthweight independently of PET. The results provide insight into the pathophysiological basis of PET and identify hypertension as a potentially modifiable risk factor amenable to therapeutic intervention

FOXP1 circular RNA sustains mesenchymal stem cell identity via microRNA inhibition

Stem cell identity and plasticity are controlled by master regulatory genes and complex circuits also involving non-coding RNAs. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of RNAs generated from protein-coding genes by backsplicing, resulting in stable RNA structures devoid of free 5' and 3' ends. Little is known of the mechanisms of action of circRNAs, let alone in stem cell biology. In this study, for the first time, we determined that a circRNA controls mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) identity and differentiation. High-throughput MSC expression profiling from different tissues revealed a large number of expressed circRNAs. Among those, circFOXP1 was enriched in MSCs compared to differentiated mesodermal derivatives. Silencing of circFOXP1 dramatically impaired MSC differentiation in culture and in vivo. Furthermore, we demonstrated a direct interaction between circFOXP1 and miR-17-3p/miR-127-5p, which results in the modulation of non-canonical Wnt and EGFR pathways. Finally, we addressed the interplay between canonical and non-canonical Wnt pathways. Reprogramming to pluripotency of MSCs reduced circFOXP1 and non-canonical Wnt, whereas canonical Wnt was boosted. The opposing effect was observed during generation of MSCs from human pluripotent stem cells. Our results provide unprecedented evidence for a regulatory role for circFOXP1 as a gatekeeper of pivotal stem cell molecular networks

Numerical Analysis of an Intercity Bus Structure: A Simple Unifilar Model Proposal to Assess Frontal and Semifrontal Crash Scenarios

Abstract To improve the safety of the intercity bus structure against impact scenarios and to reduce the injuries and death in traffic accidents it is crucial in a country with continental dimensions like Brazil, where the road transport matrix is fundamental in the traffic of people and goods. In this context in the present article, a numerical model of an intercity bus was built with elastoplastic beam implemented in a commercial software Ls-Dyna. This model was submitted to different frontal and semi frontal impact crash scenarios. With this model were analyzed different accidents which happened in the Brazilian highways, it was also simulated a frontal impact test and the results obtained were compared with the experimental results. Finally two numerical approaches were compared, they are: a simple model made with lumped masses and non-linear springs series connected, and the elastoplastic beam model. The different comparisons carried out let us validate the intercity bus model created using elastoplastic beam elements and propose to use this model as an effective tool to search for more efficient bus structural configurations against impact scenarios