Biometrics, physiology, production, and quality of Cantaloupe melons grown with saline waters under semi-arid conditions

Brazilian Northeast region emerges as both producer and exporter relevant of cantaloupe melon to several countries; however, this region is vulnerable to salinization problems due to it is inserted in a semi-arid area. This study aimed to evaluate the biometrics, physiological, production and quality of new cantaloupe melon hybrids cultivated with different saline waters under semi-arid conditions. The experiment was conducted using a drip irrigation system in a split-plot randomized design. The plot was different irrigation water electrical conductivity (ECw) levels: 0.5, 2.0, 3.5, and 5.0 dS m-1, while the subplot was two new cantaloupe melon hybrids: Zielo and SV1044. Plant biometrics (stems and leaves analysis), plant physiology (solutes accumulation and gas exchange in leaves), fruit production (number, weight, and yield), and fruit quality (physical and chemical analysis) were investigated. Stem length, leaf numbers, leaf area, and shoot dry mass decreased when ECw increased from 0.5 to 5.0 dS m-1. Also, there was an increase of Na and Cl concentration and reduction of K concentration in leaves due to ECw increase. Gas exchange reduction, losses in fruit numbers, weight, yield, and in quality were observed with the ECw increase. It is possible to conclude that the ECw increase salinizes the soil and increases Na and Cl concentration in plants causing reduction in gas exchange, in growth, and in fruit production and quality. However, the response of cultivated hybrids regarding salinity may be different, as in our study that the Zielo hybrid was less affected by the increase in ECw.Brazilian Northeast region emerges as both producer and exporter relevant of cantaloupe melon to several countries; however, this region is vulnerable to salinization problems due to it is inserted in a semi-arid area. This study aimed to evaluate the biometrics, physiological, production and quality of new cantaloupe melon hybrids cultivated with different saline waters under semi-arid conditions. The experiment was conducted using a drip irrigation system in a split-plot randomized design. The plot was different irrigation water electrical conductivity (ECw) levels: 0.5, 2.0, 3.5, and 5.0 dS m-1, while the subplot was two new cantaloupe melon hybrids: Zielo and SV1044. Plant biometrics (stems and leaves analysis), plant physiology (solutes accumulation and gas exchange in leaves), fruit production (number, weight, and yield), and fruit quality (physical and chemical analysis) were investigated. Stem length, leaf numbers, leaf area, and shoot dry mass decreased when ECw increased from 0.5 to 5.0 dS m-1. Also, there was an increase of Na and Cl concentration and reduction of K concentration in leaves due to ECw increase. Gas exchange reduction, losses in fruit numbers, weight, yield, and in quality were observed with the ECw increase. It is possible to conclude that the ECw increase salinizes the soil and increases Na and Cl concentration in plants causing reduction in gas exchange, in growth, and in fruit production and quality. However, the response of cultivated hybrids regarding salinity may be different, as in our study that the Zielo hybrid was less affected by the increase in ECw

Anti-inflammatory and Antinociceptive Activity of Ouabain in Mice

Ouabain, an inhibitor of the Na+/K+-ATPase pump, was identified as an endogenous substance of human plasma. Ouabain has been studied for its ability to interfere with various regulatory mechanisms. Despite the studies portraying the ability of ouabain to modulate the immune response, little is known about the effect of this substance on the inflammatory process. The aim of this work was to study the effects triggered by ouabain on inflammation and nociceptive models. Ouabain produced a reduction in the mouse paw edema induced by carrageenan, compound 48/80 and zymosan. This anti-inflammatory potential might be related to the inhibition of prostaglandin E2, bradykinin, and mast-cell degranulation but not to histamine. Ouabain also modulated the inflammation induced by concanavalin A by inhibiting cell migration. Besides that, ouabain presented antinociceptive activity. Taken these data together, this work demonstrated, for the first time, that ouabain presented in vivo analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects

Uso de psicotrópicos por cuidadores de pacientes idosos com demência : isso é um sinal de sobrecarga do cuidador?

This study evaluated the consumption of psychotropic medications by caregivers of elderly patients with or without dementia. This was a cross-sectional study conducted at all geriatric units in Brasília, Brazil, during a two-month period. Structured interviews were performed with 311 caregivers of people with or without dementia and they completed questionnaires. Among the caregivers, 196 (63%) were caregivers of patients with dementia and 115 (37%) were caregivers of patients without dementia. Forty-four caregivers (14.1%) were taking psychotropic drugs (benzodiazepines or antidepressants), and this usage was more frequent among caregivers of patients with dementia (p<0.01). Twenty-two caregivers of patients with dementia (11.4%) had used sleeping pills after beginning care, compared with only five (4.3%) caregivers of patients without dementia (p<0.01). In conclusion, this study found that caregivers of patients with dementia took psychotropic drugs (benzodiazepines and antidepressants) more frequently than the ones of patients without dementia. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ RESUMOEste estudo avaliou o consumo de drogas psicotrópicas por cuidadores de idosos de pacientes com e sem demência. Este foi um estudo transversal conduzido em todas as unidades de atendimento geriátrico em Brasília, Brasil, durante dois meses. Foram realizadas entrevistas estruturadas e um questionário preenchido por 311 cuidadores de idosos, com e sem demência. Entre os cuidadores, 196 (63%) eram cuidadores de pacientes com demência e 115 (37%) de pacientes sem demência. Quarenta e quatro cuidadores (14,1%) estavam utilizando drogas psicotrópicas (benzodiazepínicos ou antidepressivos). Esse uso foi mais frequente entre os cuidadores de pacientes com demência (p<0,01). Vinte e dois cuidadores de pacientes com demência (11,4%) usaram medicamentos para dormir após iniciar o trabalho de cuidador, comparado com somente 5 (4,3%) cuidadores de pacientes sem demência (p<0,01). Em conclusão, este estudo encontrou que cuidadores de pacientes com demência tomavam mais frequentemente drogas psicotrópicas (benzodiazepínicos ou antidepressivos) do que os de pacientes sem demência

CRIATIVIDADE E INOVAÇÃO DEFINIDAS POR TRABALHADORES

Creativity and innovation are now required given the new configurations in work processes, in organizational formats, in physical and intangible technologies, as well as in products and markets. In parallel with the growing centrality and interest in the phenomena of creativity and innovation, a broadening of its concepts is observed. The inflation and trivialization of uses tend to make them self-explanatory and not very enlightening regarding situations to which they apply and the associated effects. The lack of conceptual clarity thus contributes both to undermining policies to promote creativity and innovation in organizations, as well as to hinder the employees' adherence to such policies. The study aimed to characterize the key elements of workers' informal definitions of creativity and innovation, and identify their alignment with definitions and theoretical perspectives. The study included 231 workers from Portuguese-, Spanish-, and Basque-speaking countries, aged 22-75 years. The qualitative data analysis software ATLAS.ti 7 was used for coding and categorization. One point of convergence with the specialized literature was that creativity and innovation strongly associated with novelty in the development of an idea / product / process / service. Creativity, however, is defined more in terms of dispositional factors rather than contextual and situational factors, diverging from current theoretical perspectives. Planning as a key aspect for organizational innovation development is practically absent from the workers' definitions. It discusses some impacts of these settings for organizational management practices.Tanto la creatividad como la innovación son necesarias si tenemos en cuenta las nuevas configuraciones en los procesos del trabajo, en los formatos organizacionales, en las tecnologías físicas e intangibles, así como en los productos y mercados. Al tiempo que se produce una mayor centralidad e interés en el fenómeno de la creatividad y la innovación, asistimos a un desarrollo de sus conceptos asociados.  La inflación y trivialización en sus usos tienden a hacerlos autoexplicativos y sin capacidad para ilustrarnos sobre aquellas situaciones a las que hacen referencia y sus efectos asociados. La falta de claridad conceptual contribuye a socavar políticas que promuevan la creatividad e innovación en las organizaciones y dificultan la implicación de los trabajadores en dichas politicas. El objetivo de este estudio fue caracterizar los elementos principales que forman parte de las definiciones informales de creatividad dadas por los trabajadores e identificar su pertenencia a distintas definiciones y perspectivas teóricas existentes en la literatura sobre el tema. En este estudio participaron 231 trabajadores de lengua portuguesa, española y vasca, entre 22 y 75 años de edad. Para la categorización y codificación de los datos se utilizó el atlas Ti 7, versión 1.8. Una característica convergente con la bibliografía especializada fue que la creatividad y la innovación se encontraban fuertemente asociadas a novedad en el desarrollo de una idea/producto/proceso/servicio. La creatividad, sin embargo, era definida más en términos de factores disposicionales que de factores contextuales y situacionales, distanciándose de las perspectivas teóricasA criatividade e inovação passam a ser requeridas em virtude das novas configurações nos processos de trabalho, nos formatos organizacionais, nas tecnologias físicas e intangíveis, e ainda nos produtos e mercados. Em paralelo à crescente centralidade e interesse pelos fenômenos de criatividade e de inovação, observa-se o alargamento de seus conceitos. A inflação e banalização de usos tendem a torná-los autoexplicáveis e pouco elucidativos de situações a que se aplicam e dos efeitos associados. A ausência de clareza conceitual contribui, assim, tanto para fragilizar as políticas de promoção da criatividade e inovação nas organizações, quanto para dificultar a adesão dos trabalhadores a tais políticas. O estudo objetivou caracterizar os elementos-chave das definições livres de criatividade e inovação de trabalhadores e a identificação de seu alinhamento a definições e perspectivas teóricas presentes na literatura sobre o tema. Participaram do estudo 231 trabalhadores de países de língua portuguesa, espanhola e euskera, com idade entre 22 a 75 anos de idade. Fez-se uso do software de análise de dados qualitativos Atlas TI 7 versão 1.8 para codificação e categorização.  Um ponto de convergência com a literatura especializada foi que a criatividade e inovação apresentaram-se fortemente associadas à novidade no desenvolvimento de uma ideia/produto/processo/serviço. A criatividade, no entanto, é definida mais em termos de fatores disposicionais que de fatores contextuais e situacionais, distanciando-se das perspectivas teóricas atuais.   O planejamento como um aspecto-chave para o desenvolvimento da inovação organizacional está praticamente ausente das definições dos trabalhadores. Analisam-se os impactos dessas definições para as práticas de gestão organizacional.

Desenvolvimento e avaliação in vitro de comprimidos a base do antichagásico benznidazol

This work aimed to verify the interferences caused by the use of excipients for immediate release tablets based on benznidazole obtained by direct compression and the accomplishment of a comparative study between the tablets developed and the reference medicine RochaganTM, obtained by wet granulation. Seven small-scale batches (SSB) were developed and aspects such as compressibility, powder flow, mean weight, friability, disintegration, hardness, assay, content uniformity, kinetic of release in vitro (dissolution) and drug/excipients physical-chemical compatibility were evaluated. Based on the obtained results it can be verified that the analyzed powders presented adequated characteristics for the direct compression process, beyond the inexistent evidence of a physical-chemical interaction between the drug and the tested excipients. The tablets obtained from SSB I and III were chosen for the comparative study with the reference medicine, demonstrating similarity with the statistically treated obtained results, becoming an alternative option of a medicine product for the treatment of Chagas' disease with reduced cost and satisfactory quality.O trabalho teve como objetivo a verificação das possíveis interferências dos excipientes utilizados na obtenção do comprimido de liberação imediata à base de benznidazol por meio do processo de compressão direta e realização de estudo comparativo entre os comprimidos obtidos e o medicamento de referência Rochagan®, obtido por meio da granulação por via úmida. Sete lotes de bancada (LB) foram produzidos e aspectos, tais como compressibilidade, fluxo do pós, peso médio, friabilidade, desintegração, dureza, teor, dissolução, uniformidade de conteúdo, cinética de liberação in vitro (dissolução) e compatibilidade físico-química fármaco/excipiente foram avaliados. Diante dos resultados obtidos pode-se verificar que os pós analisados apresentaram características adequadas para o processo da compressão direta, além da comprovação da não existência de interação de natureza físico-química entre o fármaco e os excipientes testados. Os comprimidos obtidos a partir do LB I e III foram escolhidos para o estudo comparativo frente ao medicamento de referência, demonstrando semelhança com os resultados observados, tratados estatisticamente. Torna-se, assim, uma alternativa para a produção de medicamento destinado ao tratamento da doença de Chagas com um custo reduzido e qualidade satisfatória

The Use of 3D Optical Coherence Tomography to Analyze the Architecture of Cyanobacterial Biofilms Formed on a Carbon Nanotube Composite

The development of environmentally friendly antifouling strategies for marine applications is of paramount importance, and the fabrication of innovative nanocomposite coatings is a promising approach. Moreover, since Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a powerful imaging technique in biofilm science, the improvement of its analytical power is required to better evaluate the biofilm structure under different scenarios. In this study, the effect of carbon nanotube (CNT)-modified surfaces in cyanobacterial biofilm development was assessed over a long-term assay under controlled hydrodynamic conditions. Their impact on the cyanobacterial biofilm architecture was evaluated by novel parameters obtained from three-dimensional (3D) OCT analysis, such as the contour coefficient, total biofilm volume, biovolume, volume of non-connected pores, and the average size of non-connected pores. The results showed that CNTs incorporated into a commercially used epoxy resin (CNT composite) had a higher antifouling effect at the biofilm maturation stage compared to pristine epoxy resin. Along with a delay in biofilm development, a decrease in biofilm wet weight, thickness, and biovolume was also achieved with the CNT composite compared to epoxy resin and glass (control surfaces). Additionally, biofilms developed on the CNT composite were smoother and presented a lower porosity and a strictly packed structure when compared with those formed on the control surfaces. The novel biofilm parameters obtained from 3D OCT imaging are extremely important when evaluating the biofilm architecture and behavior under different scenarios beyond marine applications

Sound localization: the relevance of interaural differences in auditory thresholds

OBJETIVO: Esclarecer a relação das diferenças entre os limiares auditivos das orelhas direita e esquerda com o percentual de erros e acertos na localização de fontes sonoras em ambientes reverberantes. MÉTODOS: Foram examinados 56 voluntários, sendo 33 homens e 23 mulheres, média de idade de 26,6 anos, submetidos aos seguintes testes: otoscopia, audiometria tonal, imitanciometria e emissões otoacústicas. Todos os voluntários apresentaram audição dentro dos padrões de normalidade. Posteriormente, os indivíduos foram submetidos ao teste de localização sonora espacial, onde foram utilizadas ondas quadradas com freqüências fundamentais centradas em 500 Hz, 2000 Hz e 4000 Hz. Os estímulos foram apresentados quinze vezes em cada uma das treze posições espaciais do aparelho utilizado, em cada uma das freqüências escolhidas. Assim, foram apresentados 585 estímulos, no total, por pessoa. RESULTADOS: Na amostra estudada, encontrou-se como resultado, idade entre 18 e 50 anos, média da diferença dos limiares auditivos entre as orelhas de 6,81 dB e percentual de acertos na localização sonora dentro dos padrões normais. A correlação entre as diferenças interaurais e os acertos na localização, no entanto, não foi significativa. CONCLUSÕES: O presente estudo demonstrou que, em pessoas com audição normal, as variações dos limiares auditivos e as diferenças entre as orelhas até 10 dB não interferem na localização de fontes sonoras. _________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT: PURPOSE: To relate the differences between left and right ears' auditory thresholds and rate of correct/incorrect responses in sound localization tasks placed in reverberant environments. METHODS: The following tests were carried out: otoscopy, pure tone audiometry, impedanciometry and otoacoustic emissions. All 56 volunteers presented normal hearing results in all tests. After that, the volunteers were submitted to a sound localization test, in which square waves of 500 Hz, 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz were used. Stimuli were presented fifteen times in each one of the thirteen space positions of the device used, for each frequency tested. Therefore, a total number of 585 stimuli were presented for each subject. RESULTS: Data analysis showed that the sample had subjects with ages between 18 and 50 years, the average difference between right and left ears' auditory thresholds was 6,81 dB, and percentage of correct answers on the sound localization test was within normal values. No significant correlations were found between interaural differences and localization abilities. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that, for people with normal hearing, the auditory thresholds variations and interaural differences until 10 dB do not interfere on sound localization