Growth, Yield, And Postharvest Quality In Eggplant Produced Under Different Foliar Fertilizer (spirulina Platensis) Treatments

This study evaluated the growth, yield, and postharvest quality of eggplant grown under different foliar fertilizer treatments with Spirufert® (Spirulina platensis). The treatments consisted of four fertilizer concentrations applied at four phenological stages: M1 (10, 15, 25, and 35 g L-1), M2 (15, 20, 30, and 40 g L-1), M3 (20, 25, 35, and 45 g L-1), and M4 (control plants, water spraying only). For Postharvest experiments were conducted in a 4 x 5 factorial design corresponding to the four treatments in the field experiment and five storage times. Spirufert® applied at lower concentrations (M1) resulted in greater fruit yield without affecting the foliar concentrations of N, P, K, and Na. Higher fertilizer concentrations (M3) increased vegetative growth but reduced eggplant yield. Fruit color parameters and soluble solids contents were not affected by fertilizer application, but pulp firmness was more stable in M1 fruits stored for up to six days.3763893390

Influence of decreasing nutrient path length on the development of engineered cartilage

SummaryObjectiveChondrocyte-seeded agarose constructs of 4mm diameter (2.34mm thickness) develop spatially inhomogeneous material properties with stiffer outer edges and a softer central core suggesting nutrient diffusion limitations to the central construct region [Guilak F, Sah RL, Setton LA. Physical regulation of cartilage metabolism. In: Mow VC, Hayes WC, Eds. Basic Orthopaedic Biomechanics, Philadelphia 1997;179–207.]. The effects of reducing construct thickness and creating channels running through the depth of the thick constructs were examined.MethodsIn Study 1, the properties of engineered cartilage of 0.78mm (thin) or 2.34mm (thick) thickness were compared. In Study 2, a single nutrient channel (1mm diameter) was created in the middle of each thick construct. In Study 3, the effects of channels on larger 10mm diameter, thick constructs were examined.ResultsThin constructs developed superior mechanical and biochemical properties than thick constructs. The channeled constructs developed significantly higher mechanical properties vs control channel-free constructs while exhibiting similar glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and collagen content. Collagen staining suggested that channels resulted in a more uniform fibrillar network. Improvements in constructs of 10mm diameter were similarly observed.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that more homogeneous tissue-engineered cartilage constructs with improved mechanical properties can be achieved by reducing their thickness or incorporating macroscopic nutrient channels. Our data further suggests that these macroscopic channels remain open long enough to promote this enhanced tissue development while exhibiting the potential to refill with cell elaborated matrix with additional culture time. Together with reports that <3mm defects in cartilage heal in vivo and that irregular holes are associated with clinically used osteochondral graft procedures, we anticipate that a strategy of incorporating macroscopic channels may aid the development of clinically relevant engineered cartilage with functional properties

1-[2-(4-methyl-7-coumarinyloxy)ethyl]-4-(5-{1-[2-(4-methyl-7-coumarinyloxy)ethyl]-1h-1, 2, 3-triazol-4-yl}pentyl)-1h-1, 2, 3-triazole

Nature often produces compounds with a high degree of symmetry to reduce structural information and complexity. Synthesis of identical twin drugs, through the linkage of two identical pharmacophoric entities, is a classical strategy to produce more potent and/or selective drugs. Herein, two units of the privileged core of the coumarin hymecromone were linked together using “click chemistry”. Synthesis of 1-[2-(4-Methyl-7-coumarinyloxy)ethyl]-4-(5-{1-[2-(4-methyl- 7-coumarinyloxy)ethyl]-1H-1, 2, 3-triazol-4-yl}pentyl)-1H-1, 2, 3-triazole was achieved by coupling of two identical units of an azido coumarin with a symmetrical alkine using copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition reaction, in good yields and with complete regioselectivity. © 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.2016

High pressure phases in highly piezoelectric Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3

Two novel room-temperature phase transitions are observed, via synchrotron x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, in the Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 alloy under hydrostatic pressures up to 16 GPa. A monoclinic (M)-to-rhombohedral (R1) phase transition takes place around 2-3 GPa, while this R1 phase transforms into another rhombohedral phase, R2, at about 6-7 GPa. First-principles calculations assign the R3m and R3c symmetry to R1 and R2, respectively, and reveal that R2 acts as a pressure-induced structural bridge between the polar R3m and a predicted antiferrodistortive R-3c phase.Comment: REVTeX, 4 pages with 3 figures embedded. Figs 1 and 3 in colo

Is anodal transcranial direct current stimulation a potential ergogenic resource for muscle strength and effort perception? A critical review

Nas últimas décadas, vários estudos estão investigando a dose-resposta ideal em termos de frequência, intensidade e volume de treinamento para alcançar o aumento da força muscular, tanto em atletas quanto em não atletas. A dose-resposta é fundamental para a prescrição do treinamento, uma vez que sua manipulação equivocada pode acarretar alto risco de desenvolvimento de lesões por esforços repetitivos, bem como pelo não desenvolvimento da força esperada. Em indivíduos com nível avançado de treinamento de força, é extremamente importante aumentar sua intensidade e volume de treinamento. Nesse sentido, com os avanços encontrados na área de treinamento de força e a necessidade de novas estratégias para otimizar ganhos de força, um novo método vem ganhando força na literatura, a estimulação transcraniana por corrente contínua (ETCC). Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo é analisar criticamente os efeitos do ETCC como potencial recurso ergogênico para a realização de força muscular e percepção de esforço, bem como se seu uso é ético ou não. Para tanto, foram pesquisadas as bases de dados Pubmed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge e Scielo, apenas em inglês, e com as palavras-chave: força muscular, resistência muscular, estimulação transcraniana por corrente contínua, ETCC. Nós comparamos o efeito do ETCC anódico (ETCC-a) com uma condição sham/controle nos resultados de ETCC para força muscular e percepção de esforço força muscular e percepção de esforço. Nenhum estudo menciona efeitos colaterais negativos da intervenção. Os dados mostram diferenças entre os estudos que investigam os estudos de avaliação da força muscular e resistência muscular, em termos do uso bem sucedido de ETCC. Estudos que investigaram a eficiência do ETCC na melhora da força muscular demonstraram efeitos positivos do ETCC-a em 66,7% dos parâmetros testados. Amaioria dos dados mostra consistentemente a influência do ETCC-a na força muscular, mas não no desempenho de resistênciaEn las últimas décadas, diversos estudios están investigando la dosis-respuesta ideal en cuanto a la frecuencia, intensidad y volumen de entrenamiento para alcanzar el aumento de fuerza muscular, sea en atletas y no atletas. La dosis-respuesta es fundamental para la prescripción de entrenamiento, pues su manipulación equivocada puede llevar a un alto de riesgo de desarrollo de lesiones por esfuerzo repetitivo, así como para el no desarrollo de la fuerza esperada. En sujetos con nivel avanzado de entrenamiento de fuerza es extremadamente importante aumentar su intensidad y volumen de entrenamiento. En este sentido, con los avances encontrados en el área de entrenamiento de fuerza y la necesidad de nuevas estrategias para optimizar las ganancias de fuerza, un nuevo método está ganando fuerza en la literatura, la estimulación transcraneal por corriente continua (ETCC). Por lo tanto, el objetivo del presente estudio es analizar de forma crítica los efectos de la ETCC como potencial recurso ergogénico al desempeño de fuerza muscular y percepción de esfuerzo, así como si su uso es ético o no. Por lo tanto, se realizó una búsqueda en las bases de datos Pubmed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge y Scielo, solamente en inglés y con las palabras clave: fuerza muscular, resistencia muscular, estimulación transcraneal de corriente continua, ETCC. Comparamos el efecto de la ETCC anódica (ETCC-a) a una condición sham/control sobre los resultados de la fuerza muscular y percepción de esfuerzo. Ningún estudio menciona efectos secundarios negativos de la intervención. Los datos muestran diferencias entre los estudios que investigan la fuerza muscular y los estudios de evaluación de resistencia muscular, en lo que se refiere al uso exitoso de la ETCC. Los estudios que investigan la eficiencia de la ETCC en la mejora de la fuerza muscular demuestran efectos positivos de la ETCC-a en el 66,7% de los parámetros probados. La mayoría de los datos muestran consistentemente influencia de la ETCC-a en la fuerza muscular, pero no en el rendimiento de resistencia.In the last decades, several studies are investigating the optimal dose-response in terms of frequency, intensity and volume of training to achieve increased muscle strength in both athletes and non-athletes. Dose-response is critical to the prescription of training, since its mismanagement may pose a high risk of developing repetitive strain injuries as well as failure to develop the expected strength. In individuals with advanced level of strength training, it is extremely important to increase their intensity and training volume. In this sense, with the advances in the area of strength training and the need for new strategies to optimize force gains, a new method is gaining strength in the literature, the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to critically analyze the effects of tDCS as a potential ergogenic resource for achieving muscle strength and perceived exertion, as well as whether its use is ethical or not. To do so, we searched the databases Pubmed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge and Scielo, in English only, and with the keywords: muscle strength, muscular endurance, transcranial direct current stimulation, tDCS. We compared the effect of anodic tDCS (a-tDCS) with a sham/control condition on muscle strength and perceived exertion results. No study mentions the negative side effects of the intervention. The data show differences between studies investigating studies of muscle strength and muscle endurance in terms of the successful use of tDCS. Studies that investigated tDCS efficiency in improving muscle strength demonstrated positive effects of a-tDCS on 66.7% of the parameters tested. Most data consistently show the influence of a-tDCS on muscle strength, but not on resistance performance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Biased Review of Sociophysics

Various aspects of recent sociophysics research are shortly reviewed: Schelling model as an example for lack of interdisciplinary cooperation, opinion dynamics, combat, and citation statistics as an example for strong interdisciplinarity.Comment: 16 pages for J. Stat. Phys. including 2 figures and numerous reference

Cosmological Dynamics of Phantom Field

We study the general features of the dynamics of the phantom field in the cosmological context. In the case of inverse coshyperbolic potential, we demonstrate that the phantom field can successfully drive the observed current accelerated expansion of the universe with the equation of state parameter $w_{\phi} < -1$. The de-Sitter universe turns out to be the late time attractor of the model. The main features of the dynamics are independent of the initial conditions and the parameters of the model. The model fits the supernova data very well, allowing for $-2.4 < w_{\phi} < -1$ at 95 % confidence level.Comment: Typos corrected. Some clarifications and references added. To appear in Physical Review

Caracterização de uma vegetação de cerrado em uma área no município de Nova Olinda-CE

Caracterização de uma vegetação de cerrado em umaárea no município de Nova Olinda-C