Potassium fertigation and organic fertilisation in Syrah grape in Northeastern Brazil: yield, must characteristics and phenolic compounds.

The effect of both potassium and organic fertilisation on grape yield and must composition originating from wine grapevines cultivated in the São Francisco river basin, in the semi-arid region of Northeastern Brazil, is not well known. Since soils from that region usually have low organic matter content, we hypothesise that soil application of organic fertiliser and potassium application through drip irrigation enhances the availability of this nutrient in the soil, and it influences grape yield and quality. Hence, five doses of potassium (0, 20, 40, 80 and 160 kg ha-1) applied through a drip irrigation system and two doses of goat manure as organic fertiliser applied into the soil (0 and 7.5 m3 ha-1) after pruning were evaluated concerning yield and berry quality of grapevine ‘Syrah’ over four growing seasons (April 2013 to July 2015) in Petrolina, state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The experimental design was randomised blocks with 5 replications. We evaluated yield (t ha-1), weight of 100 berries (g), must volume (mL), total soluble solids (°Brix), pH and total titratable acidity (‰), K, Mg and Ca contents and phenolic compounds (total polyphenols, anthocyanins and flavonoids). The increasing application of potassium at the different doses of organic fertiliser did not alter the crop yield, except in the second season. Nonetheless, K concentration in grape must was influenced in the four growing seasons, with higher values at fitted K2O doses by polynomial regression of 83.62 kg ha-1 (first season), 101.25 kg ha-1 (second season), 120.00 kg ha-1 (third season) and 77.99 kg ha-1 (0 m3 ha-1 organic fertiliser) and 96.07 kg ha-1 (7.5 m3 ha-1 organic fertiliser) in the fourth season. The addition of increasing doses of potassium interfered with the wine grape quality, which is an important factor to be considered in relation to its acidity. Organic fertilisation did not affect the most quality characteristics of the grapes

Antioxidant activity by DPPH assay of potential solutions to be applied on bleached teeth

The aim of this study was to assess, using the DPPH assay, the antioxidant activity of several substances that could be proposed to immediately revert the problems caused by bleaching procedures. The percentage of antioxidant activity (AA%) of 10% ascorbic acid solution (AAcidS), 10% ascorbic acid gel (AAcidG), 10% sodium ascorbate solution (SodAsS), 10% sodium ascorbate gel (SodAsG), 10% sodium bicarbonate (Bicarb), Neutralize® (NE), Desensibilize® (DES), catalase C-40 at 10 mg/mL (CAT), 10% alcohol solution of alpha-tocopherol (VitE), Listerine® (LIS), 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX), Croton Lechleri (CL), 10 % aqueous solution of Uncaria Tomentosa (UT), artificial saliva (ArtS) and 0.05% sodium fluoride (NaF) was assessed in triplicate by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) free radical assay. All substances exhibited antioxidant activity, except for CL. AAcidS, AAcidG and VitE exhibited the highest AA% (p<0.05). On the contrary, CHX, NE, LIS and NaF showed the lowest AA% (p<0.05). In conclusion, AAcidS, AAcidG, SodAsS, SodAsG and VitE presented the highest antioxidant activity among substances tested in this study. The DPPH assay provides an easy and rapid way to evaluate potential antioxidants

Estimativa da evapotranspiração real diária para o município de São Gabriel do Oeste-MS utilizando imagens orbitais.

Resumo: Estimativas de evapotranspiração real são informações importantes, pois podem fornecer aporte aos gestores agrícolas no manejo de culturas e na previsão da produtividade. Este trabalho teve como objetivo estimar a evapotranspiração real diária (ETr) para o município de São Gabriel do Oeste, que é um grande produtor agrícola do estado de Mato Grosso do Sul. Foram utilizadas imagens do satélite Landsat-8, OLI/TIRS e o algoritmo SEBAL, alimentado com dados de estações meteorológicas. O algoritmo SEBAL calcula a ETr a partir do fluxo de calor latente (LE), o qual é estimado a partir do balanço de energia da superfície. Por meio deste algoritmo foram gerados os mapas dos parâmetros estatísticos, calculados para as diferentes classes de uso e cobertura da terra em São Gabriel do Oeste. As maiores médias de valores de ETr foram encontradas em áreas de vegetação nativa, seguidos de valores próximos para água e agricultura, enquanto que as menores médias de valores foram encontradas em áreas urbanas e solo exposto. A ETr teve comportamento semelhante ao encontrado para a LE. O algoritmo SEBAL utilizando dados de superfície e imagens do Landsat-8, OLI/TIRS, apresentou-se como uma ferramenta eficiente e de baixo custo para o monitoramento da ETr

Edible coating based on carnauba wax nanoemulsion and cymbopogon martinii essential oil on papaya postharvest preservation.

Papaya is a fruit of great importance worldwide. However, significant losses during postharvest have been reported, which can be minimized by applying lipid nanoemulsions as edible coatings associated with natural antimicrobial compounds. These coatings provide a barrier to gases and water vapor, in addition to improving mechanical properties, thereby delaying natural senescence and minimizing deterioration by phytopathogens during storage. The aim of this study was to investigate the preservation potential of papaya fruits treated with an edible coating based on an association between carnauba wax nanoemulsion (CWN) and Cymbopogon martinii essential oil (CEO). Coatings formulated with CWN and/or CEO were applied to papaya fruits, and resulted in late ripening during the 12-day storage period, without negatively affecting postharvest fruit quality parameters. The coatings reduced weight loss and maintained firmness, in addition to delaying changes in fruit color during storage. Coatings formulated with CWN + CEO were the most efficient formulations in reducing the incidence and severity of fruit rots during storage. CWN coatings incorporating CEO present additional functionalities in maintaining postharvest quality parameters of papaya fruits

Fruit quality parameters and volatile compounds from 'Palmer' mangoes with internal breakdown.

The internal breakdown (IB) is a premature and uneven mango pulp ripening physiological disorder that is noticed only when the fruit is sliced for consumption. Thus, there is a demand for analytical methods to detect IB in mangoes to avoid consumer dissatisfaction and reduce postharvest waste. In this work, physicochemical and volatile compounds were determined to evaluate the ability to predict pulp IB. Principal components analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) of the data show that color, firmness, and volatiles compounds are important to give some information about the physiological changes caused by IB. The volatile compounds methacrylic acid, ethyl ester, isopentyl ethanoate, limonene oxide, (E)-2-pentenal, tetradecane, and &#947;-elemene were identified as chemical markers of IB. Therefore, mango physical and chemical characteristics combined with PCA and PLS-DA were successfully employed for the identification of IB in mangoes, showing significant differences between healthy and IB fruits

Effect of carnauba wax nanoemulsion coating on postharvest papaya quality.

ABSTRACT: Papaya is a fruit of great economic importance worldwide, but still presents a high rate of postharvest losses. Among the different reasons explaining this phenomenom, intensive labor and inappropriate storage conditions are the main ones. Carnauba wax nanoemulsion (CWN) coating may be an alternative to this problem, preserving postharvest fruit quality. Therefore, an experimental CWN was developed and a set of three trials were conducted to evaluate its performance on storage of papaya fruits solo type. On the first trial, this coating was applied to the fruits at concentrations of 4.5, 9.0, 13.5 and 18.0% compared to control group (fruits coated with water). In a second trial, the best concentrations determined in the first one was used (13.5 and 18.0% respectively). On the last trial, CWN on a high concentration 18% was compared to commercially treated and untreated fruits. Fruits were stored for 12 to 20 days at 16 to 18°C and Relative Humidity upper to 70%. Physicochemical analyzes carried were soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, weight loss, firmness, color and ethylene production, while postharvest disease incidence and severity was only performed on the last trial. Significant difference was observed on treatments with high CWN concentration (13.5 and 18.0%) in relation to reducing weight loss, delay ripening and decreasing ethylene production compared to untreated, commercial coating and even to low CWN concentrations. For disease severity it was observed a reduction on coated fruits with high CWN concentration when compared to control and commercial coating. CWN has a potential use for extending papaya postharvest shelf life.V International Symposium on Postharvest Pathology: From Consumer to Laboratory-Sustainable Approaches to Managing Postharvest Pathogens

Improving Darwin Core for research and management of alien species

To improve the suitability of the Darwin Core standard for the research and management of alien species, the standard needs to express the native status of organisms, how well established they are and how they came to occupy a location. To facilitate this, we propose: 1. To adopt a controlled vocabulary for the existing Darwin Core term dwc:establishmentMeans 2. To elevate the pathway term from the Invasive Species Pathways extension to become a new Darwin Core term dwc:pathway maintained as part of the Darwin Core standard 3. To adopt a new Darwin Core term dwc:degreeOfEstablishment with an associated controlled vocabulary These changes to the standard will allow users to clearly state whether an occurrence of a species is native to a location or not, how it got there (pathway), and to what extent the species has become a permanent feature of the location. By improving Darwin Core for capturing and sharing these data, we aim to improve the quality of occurrence and checklist data in general and to increase the number of potential uses of these data

Prospective Evaluation of Clinico-Pathological Predictors of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation

Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) occurs in 30% to 50% of patients undergoing cardiac surgery and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Prospective identification of structural/molecular changes in atrial myocardium that correlate with myocardial injury and precede and predict risk of POAF may identify new molecular pathways and targets for prevention of this common morbid complication. Methods: Right atrial appendage samples were prospectively collected during cardiac surgery from 239 patients enrolled in the OPERA trial (Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Prevention of Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation), fixed in 10% buffered formalin, and embedded in paraffin for histology. We assessed general tissue morphology, cardiomyocyte diameters, myocytolysis (perinuclear myofibril loss), accumulation of perinuclear glycogen, interstitial fibrosis, and myocardial gap junction distribution. We also assayed NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), hs-cTnT, CRP (C-reactive protein), and circulating oxidative stress biomarkers (F2-isoprostanes, F3-isoprostanes, isofurans) in plasma collected before, during, and 48 hours after surgery. POAF was defined as occurrence of postcardiac surgery atrial fibrillation or flutter of at least 30 seconds duration confirmed by rhythm strip or 12-lead ECG. The follow-up period for all arrhythmias was from surgery until hospital discharge or postoperative day 10. Results: Thirty-five percent of patients experienced POAF. Compared with the non-POAF group, they were slightly older and more likely to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or heart failure. They also had a higher European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation and more often underwent valve surgery. No differences in left atrial size were observed between patients with POAF and patients without POAF. The extent of atrial interstitial fibrosis, cardiomyocyte myocytolysis, cardiomyocyte diameter, glycogen score or Cx43 distribution at the time of surgery was not significantly associated with incidence of POAF. None of these histopathologic abnormalities were correlated with levels of NT-proBNP, hs-cTnT, CRP, or oxidative stress biomarkers. Conclusions: In sinus rhythm patients undergoing cardiac surgery, histopathologic changes in the right atrial appendage do not predict POAF. They also do not correlate with biomarkers of cardiac function, inflammation, and oxidative stress