Produção e qualidade de frutos de tomateiro cultivado em substrato com zeólita.

Avaliou-se a produção e a qualidade dos frutos de tomateiro cv; Finestra, cultivado ms ubstratoc om zeólitae nriquecidac om N, Pe K. Os tratamentos utilizados foram quatro d oses( 20; 40; 80 e 160g por vaso) de zeólitas enriquecidas com HJP04/apatita, KNOJ e, KH2PO4 ' além de uma testemunha cultivada em solução nutritiva. I Foram avaliados a produção de frutos por vaso, finneza, sólidos II. totais, pH, acidez titulável e ácido ascórbico dos frutos, dos 80 aos 90 dias de cultivo. O fornecimento de nutrientes a través do mineral zeólita enriquecido com N, P e K comprovou ser uma alternativa para o aumento da produção. As maiores produções foram obtidas nos tratamentos com a dição de P e K e nas maiores doses de zeólita (160 e 80 g por vaso). A produção de frutos foi 11% a 17% maior em relação à testemunha. cultivada com solução nutritiva. Houve efeitos positivos das zeólltas enriquecidas com fontes de fósforo sobre a firmeza e efeito negativo sobre o pH. A firmeza dos frutos variou 104% entre tratamentos, de 7,06 N (ZNK 160) a 14,38( ZPK 40). O aumento da disponibilidade de potássio contribuiu para o aumento do teor de ácido ascórbico dos frutos

“A long-term mortality analysis of subsidized firms in rural areas: an empirical study in the Portuguese Alentejo region”

Studies have demonstrated that public policies to support private firms’ investment have the ability to promote entrepreneurship, but the sustainability of subsidized firms has not often been analysed. This paper aims to examine this dimension specifically through evaluating the mortality of subsidized firms in the long-term. The analysis focuses on a case study of the LEADER+ Programme in the Alentejo region of Portugal. With this purpose, the paper examines the activity status (active or not active) of 154 private, rural, for-profit firms in Alentejo that had received a subsidy to support investment between 2002 and 2008 under the LEADER+ Programme. The methodology is based on binary choice models in order to study the probability of these firms still being active. The explanatory variables used are the following: (1) the characteristics of entrepreneurs and managers’ strategic decisions, (2) firm profile and characteristics, (3) regional economic environment. Data assessment showed that the cumulative mortality rate of firms on 31st December 2013 is over 20 %. Interpretation of the regression model revealed that he probability of firms’ survival increases with higher investment, firm age and regional business concentration, whereas the number of applications made by firms has a negative impact on their survival. So it seems that for subsidized firms the amount of investment is as important as its frequency

Mapa genético de feijão-caupi com marcadores derivados de marcadores gênicos e não codificantes.

O presente estudo buscou a construção de um mapa genético de feijão-caupi, incluindo genes de resistência ao vírus do mosaico severo do caupi (CPSMV), bem como sua associação a marcadores moleculares. Para isso, uma população de 94 RILs F6, segregando para reação ao vírus foi genotipada a partir de quatro categorias de marcadores: SSR-EST, ISSR, DAF e CAPS. Adotando o LOD de 2,0 e uma frequência máxima de recombinação de 0,40, foram mapeados 53 locos em 11 grupos de ligação cobrindo uma distância de recombinação total de 716,2 cM. O gene de resistência ao CPSMV foi mapeado no grupo de ligação 1, entre dois marcadores SSR-EST, a 6,1 cM do primeiro e 24,1 do segundo. As etapas seguintes envolvem o mapeamento fino desta região, visando identificar marcadores mais proximamente ligados ao gene de resistência ao CPSMV para uso em programas de seleção assistida por marcadores moleculares, no melhoramento do feijão-caupi

Chance mechanisms affecting the burden of metastases

BACKGROUND: The burden of cancer metastases within an individual is commonly used to clinically characterize a tumor's biological behavior. Assessments like these implicitly assume that spurious effects can be discounted. Here the influence of chance on the burden of metastasis is studied to determine whether or not this assumption is valid. METHODS: Monte Carlo simulations were performed to estimate tumor burdens sustained by individuals with cancer, based upon empirically derived and validated models for the number and size distributions of metastases. Factors related to the intrinsic metastatic potential of tumors and their host microenvironments were kept constant, to more clearly demonstrate the contribution from chance. RESULTS: Under otherwise identical conditions, both the simulated numbers and the sizes of metastases were highly variable. Comparable individuals could sustain anywhere from no metastases to scores of metastases, and the sizes of the metastases ranged from microscopic to macroscopic. Despite the marked variability in the number and sizes of the metastases, their respective growth times were rather more narrowly distributed. In such situations multiple occult metastases could develop into fully overt lesions within a comparatively short time period. CONCLUSION: Chance can have a major effect on the burden of metastases. Random variability can be so great as to make individual assessments of tumor biology unreliable, yet constrained enough to lead to the apparently simultaneous appearance of multiple overt metastases

Gene Expression Profiling and Molecular Characterization of Antimony Resistance in Leishmania amazonensis

Leishmania are unicellular microorganisms that can be transmitted to humans by the bite of sandflies. They cause a spectrum of diseases called leishmaniasis, which are classified as neglected tropical diseases by the World Health Organization. The treatment of leishmaniasis is based on the administration of antimony-containing drugs. These drugs have been used since 1947 and still constitute the mainstay for leishmaniasis treatment in several countries. One of the problems with these compounds is the emergence of resistance. Our work seeks to understand how these parasites become resistant to the drug. We studied antimony-resistant Leishmania amazonensis mutants. We analyzed gene expression at the whole genome level in antimony-resistant parasites and identified mechanisms used by Leishmania for resistance. This work could help us in developing new strategies for treatment in endemic countries where people are unresponsive to antimony-based chemotherapy. The identification of common mechanisms among different species of resistant parasites may also contribute to the development of diagnostic kits to identify and monitor the spread of resistance

Global genome diversity of the Leishmania donovani complex.

Protozoan parasites of the Leishmania donovani complex - L. donovani and L. infantum - cause the fatal disease visceral leishmaniasis. We present the first comprehensive genome-wide global study, with 151 cultured field isolates representing most of the geographical distribution. L. donovani isolates separated into five groups that largely coincide with geographical origin but vary greatly in diversity. In contrast, the majority of L. infantum samples fell into one globally-distributed group with little diversity. This picture is complicated by several hybrid lineages. Identified genetic groups vary in heterozygosity and levels of linkage, suggesting different recombination histories. We characterise chromosome-specific patterns of aneuploidy and identified extensive structural variation, including known and suspected drug resistance loci. This study reveals greater genetic diversity than suggested by geographically-focused studies, provides a resource of genomic variation for future work and sets the scene for a new understanding of the evolution and genetics of the Leishmania donovani complex

Recent advances in lanthanide spectroscopy in Brazil

This review discusses recent advances in lanthanide spectroscopy involving luminescence applications Q2 carried out in Brazil. The revised topics include glasses, sol–gel, light-emitting diodes, nanoparticles, metal–organic frameworks, coordination polymers, thin films, energy transfer processes, upconversion and development of new theoretical tools. The important role played by Prof. Oscar L. Malta on this subject is evidenced by his many contributions to the broad range of investigations reported here and this review is dedicated to him, on the occasion of his 60th birthday