Use Of Organic Compost Containing Waste From Small Ruminants In Corn Production

Composting is a useful way of transforming livestock waste into organic fertilizer, which is proven to increase soil nutrient levels, and thus crop yield. Remains from production and slaughter of small ruminants can become a source of important elements for plant growth, such as N, after microorganism-driven decomposition.The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of this compost on soil fertility and on the nutritional status and yield of the corn crop. The experiment was conducted in a Haplic Luvisol in a randomized block design with six treatments and five application rates of the organic compound in Mg ha-1: 3 (half the standard rate), 6 (standard rate), 9 (one and a half times the standard rate), 12 (twice the standard rate), and 24 (four times the standard rate) and an additional treatment with mineral fertilizers (110, 50 e 30 kg ha-1 of N, P2O5 and K2O, respectively), with four blocks. Evaluations were performed for two harvests of rainfed crops, measuring soil fertility, nutritional status, and grain yield. The compost increased P, K, Na and Zn values in the 0.00-0.20 m layer in relation of mineral fertilization in 616, 21, 114 and 90% with rate 24 Mg ha-1 in second crop. Leaf N, Mg, and S contents, relative chlorophyll content, and the productivity of corn kernels increased in 27, 32, 36, 20 e 85%, respectively, of low rate (3 Mg ha-1) to high rate (24 Mg ha-1) with of application of the compost. Corn yield was higher with application of organic compost in rate of 24 Mg ha-1 than mineral fertilizer combination in second crop. © 2016, Revista Brasileira de Ciencia do Solo. All rights reserved.4

Daucus carota L. – An old model for cell reprogramming gains new importance through a novel expansion pattern of alternative oxidase (AOX) genes

The paper highlights Daucus carota L. as an ideal model to complement plant stress research on Arabidopsis thaliana L. Recently, alternative oxidase (AOX) is discussed as functional marker candidate for cell reprogramming upon stress. Carrot is the most studied species for cell reprogramming and our current research reveals that it is the only one that has expanded both AOX sub-family genes. We point to recently published, but not discussed results on conserved differences in the vicinity of the most active functional site of AOX1 and AOX2, which indicate the importance of studying AOX sequence polymorphism, structure and functionality. Thus, stress-inducible experimental systems of D. carota are especially appropriate to bring research on stress tolerance a significant step forward

Myocardial T1 mapping and extracellular volume quantification in patients with left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy

Aims: From pathophysiological mechanisms to risk stratification and management, much debate and discussion persist regarding left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC). This study aimed to characterize myocardial T1 mapping and extracellular volume (ECV) fraction by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), and investigate how these biomarkers relate to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and ventricular arrhythmias (VA) in LVNC. Methods and results: Patients with LVNC (n = 36) and healthy controls (n = 18) were enrolled to perform a CMR with T1 mapping. ECV was quantified in LV segments without late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) areas to investigate diffuse myocardial fibrosis. Patients with LVNC had slightly higher native T1 (1024 ± 43 ms vs. 995 ± 22 ms, P = 0.01) and substantially expanded ECV (28.0 ± 4.5% vs. 23.5 ± 2.2%, P < 0.001) compared to controls. The ECV was independently associated with LVEF (β = -1.3, P = 0.001). Among patients without LGE, VAs were associated with higher ECV (27.7% with VA vs. 25.8% without VA, P = 0.002). Conclusion: In LVNC, tissue characterization by T1 mapping suggests an extracellular expansion by diffuse fibrosis in myocardium without LGE, which was associated with myocardial dysfunction and VA, but not with the amount of non-compacted myocardium

Portuguese Lifeguards Performance in Aquatic Rescue: An Exploratory Study

The objective of the study was to compare the performance of Portuguese lifeguards in two trials of simulated rescue at the beach within a regular continuous workday. Additionally, the study aimed to analyse the influence of experience and initial course syllabus on the rescue performance. A total of 86 Portuguese lifeguards (LG) participated in this study, 69 males and 17 females. The two simulated drowning occurrences were planned to occur at 50 meters from the coastline between 9.00h am and 18.00h pm. The weather conditions, the characteristics of the beach, wave amplitude were also controlled. The results were analysed through descriptive and comparative tests and pairwise comparisons. The rescue was performed in less than 6 minutes by 91.9% of the subjects, 5.8% between and 6-10 min and only 2.3% exceeded 10 minutes. No significant differences (p\u3e0.05) were found on the total rescue time between trials and the number of ventilations. The number of training sessions at the beach during the lifesaving course was negatively correlated with a faster rescue trial (r= -0.218; p=0.004). The majority of the Portuguese LG in this study demonstrated the readiness required to conduct a full rescue in less than 6 minutes. O objetivo do estudo foi comparar o desempenho dos nadadores-salvadores (NS) portugueses em dois ensaios de resgate simulado na praia em um dia de trabalho contínuo e regular. Além disso, o estudo teve como objetivo analisar a influência da experiência e do currículo inicial do curso no desempenho do resgate. Um total de 86 NS portugueses participaram neste estudo, 69 homens e 17 mulheres. As duas ocorrências simuladas de afogamento foram planeadas para ocorrer a 50 metros da costa, entre 9h e 18h. As condições climáticas, as características da praia, a amplitude das ondas também foram controladas. Os resultados foram analisados através de testes descritivos e comparativos e comparações aos pares. O resgate foi realizado em menos de 6 minutos por 91,9% dos sujeitos, 5,8% entre 6 e 10 minutos e apenas 2,3% excederam os 10 minutos. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas (p\u3e 0,05) no tempo total de resgate entre os ensaios e o número de ventilações. O número de sessões de treino na praia durante o curso de nadador-salvador foi correlacionado com um teste de resgate mais rápido (r = -0, 218; p = 0,004). A maioria dos NS portugueses neste estudo demonstrou a prontidão necessária para realizar um resgate completo em menos de 6 minutos

Sperm characteristics of men at different ages

Background: Knowledge regarding seminal fluid and spermatozoids in the elderly is controversial at best in the literature. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the relationship between male age and spermatozoid. Methods: The sperms of 80 healthy adult men, between 21 and 60 years of age, were studied after three to five days of sexual abstinence. Volunteers were distributed into four age groups (n = 20): 21-30, 31-40, 41-50 and 51-60 years of age. Results: No difference regarding the sperm’s physical and chemical characteristics (smell, color, volume, viscosity and pH) was found. The spermatozoid’s mobile forms showed no difference among the four groups. The concentration of spermatozoids proved to be higher in the semen of men of over 41 years of age, while in the 41 to 50 years of age group, the number of oval spermatozoids was higher (p = 0.03), with a less abnormal tapered form (p = 0.02) when compared to the other three groups. Conclusion: More normal forms of spermatozoids are found between 41 and 50 years of age

Percolation model for structural phase transitions in Li1−x_{1-x}Hx_xIO3_3 mixed crystals

A percolation model is proposed to explain the structural phase transitions found in Li$_{1-x}$H$_x$IO$_3$ mixed crystals as a function of the concentration parameter $x$. The percolation thresholds are obtained from Monte Carlo simulations on the specific lattices occupied by lithium atoms and hydrogen bonds. The theoretical results strongly suggest that percolating lithium vacancies and hydrogen bonds are indeed responsible for the solid solution observed in the experimental range $0.22 < x < 0.36$.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Bifurcations of a driven granular system under gravity

Molecular dynamics study on the granular bifurcation in a simple model is presented. The model consists of hard disks, which undergo inelastic collisions; the system is under the uniform external gravity and is driven by the heat bath. The competition between the two effects, namely, the gravitational force and the heat bath, is carefully studied. We found that the system shows three phases, namely, the condensed phase, locally fluidized phase, and granular turbulent phase, upon increasing the external control parameter. We conclude that the transition from the condensed phase to the locally fluidized phase is distinguished by the existence of fluidized holes, and the transition from the locally fluidized phase to the granular turbulent phase is understood by the destabilization transition of the fluidized holes due to mutual interference.Comment: 35 pages, 17 figures, to be published in PR

Post-harvest quality of fresh-marketed tomatoes as a function of harvest periods

Losses on tomato business chain start at harvest, a two-months period. At the beginning of the harvest, fruits concentrate at the basal part of the plant, then in the middle, and finally at the top, and undergo changes in diameter and maturity indexes as harvest progresses. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of handling at three different periods: (I) 15 days, (II) 30 days, and (III) 45 days after the beginning of harvest. Tomatoes were ordinarily grown and harvested in to bamboo baskets, and transferred to plastics boxes. Fruits were classified according to ripening stage and diameter, and evaluated for mechanical damage and external defects caused by harvesting procedures. The time required for the harvest operation was measured; damage to fruits (%) and weight loss (%), caused either in the field and/or during the harvesting process, were taken into consideration and related to the final quality of fruit after storage for 21 days. The same methodology was used all through the production and harvest cycle. The highest % fruit damage occurred during period II, a longer harvest time than the other two periods. Fruits not submitted to handling showed lower weight loss than handled fruits. Fruits harvested in period II and stored for 21 days showed higher losses due to mechanical injury

Update on the correlation of the highest energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic matter

Data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory through 31 August 2007 showed evidence for anisotropy in the arrival directions of cosmic rays above the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz'min energy threshold, \nobreak{$6\times 10^{19}$eV}. The anisotropy was measured by the fraction of arrival directions that are less than $3.1^\circ$ from the position of an active galactic nucleus within 75 Mpc (using the V\'eron-Cetty and V\'eron $12^{\rm th}$ catalog). An updated measurement of this fraction is reported here using the arrival directions of cosmic rays recorded above the same energy threshold through 31 December 2009. The number of arrival directions has increased from 27 to 69, allowing a more precise measurement. The correlating fraction is $(38^{+7}_{-6})$, compared with $21$ expected for isotropic cosmic rays. This is down from the early estimate of $(69^{+11}_{-13})$. The enlarged set of arrival directions is examined also in relation to other populations of nearby extragalactic objects: galaxies in the 2 Microns All Sky Survey and active galactic nuclei detected in hard X-rays by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope. A celestial region around the position of the radiogalaxy Cen A has the largest excess of arrival directions relative to isotropic expectations. The 2-point autocorrelation function is shown for the enlarged set of arrival directions and compared to the isotropic expectation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physics on 31 August 201