Assessing the ecological soundness of organic and conventional agriculture by means of life cycle assessment (LCA) - a case study of leek production

Purpose – Sustainable agriculture implies the ability of agro-ecosystems to remain productive in the long-term. It is not easy to point out unambiguously whether or not current production systems meet this sustainability demand. A priori thinking would suggest that organic crops are environmentally favourable, but may ignore the effect of reduced productivity, which shifts the potential impact to other parts of the food provision system. The purpose of this paper is to assess the ecological sustainability of conventional and organic leek production by means of life cycle assessment (LCA). Design/methodology/approach – A cradle-to-farm gate LCA is applied, based on real farm data from two research centres. For a consistent comparison, two functional units (FU) were defined: 1ha and 1?kg of leek production. Findings – Assessed on an area basis, organic farming shows a more favourable environmental profile. These overall benefits are strongly reduced when the lower yields are taken into account. Related to organic farming it is therefore important that solutions are found to substantially increase the yields without increasing the environmental burden. Related to conventional farming, important potential for environmental improvements are in optimising the farm nutrient flows, reducing pesticide use and increasing its self-supporting capacity. Research limitations/implications – The research is a cradle-to-farm gate LCA, future research can be expanded to comprise all phases from cradle-to-grave to get an idea of the total sustainability of our present food consumption patterns. The research is also limited to the case of leek production. Future research can apply the methodology to other crops. Originality/value – To date, there is still lack of clear evidence of the added value of organic farming compared to conventional farming on environmental basis. Few studies have compared organic and conventional food production by means of LCA. This paper addresses these issues

A produção habitacional do programa MCMV no município de São Paulo: critérios de localização adotados pelos produtores e impactos na estrutura urbana e na qualidade de vida dos moradores

The study assesses the concentration of housing production of the Minha Casa, Minha Vida Program in the municipality of São Paulo in its various ranges of family income, studying its relationship particularly with the following aspects: a) distance from the traditional center; b) distance from new job-generating centers; c) local offer of job and income opportunities and d) urban violence index, comparing with results of another survey on satisfaction with the quality of urban life by urban sector in the city. Although it was clear the inverse correlation between the local concentration of housing production in relation to the proximity of work and income opportunities, other compared indexes did not show the same results. It was also found that, within the scope of the municipality, the distant production of the housing complexes did not produce significant urban dispersion, having, due to the use of verticalization, occupied predominantly land and interstitial plots (urban voids).O estudo avalia a concentração da produção habitacional do Programa Minha Casa, Minha Vida no município de São Paulo em suas várias faixas de renda familiar, estudando-se a sua relação particularmente em relação aos seguintes aspectos: a) distância do centro tradicional; b) distância dos novos centros geradores de emprego; c) oferta local de oportunidades de trabalho e renda e d) índice de violência urbana, comparando-se ainda com resultados de outra pesquisa sobre a satisfação com a qualidade de vida urbana por setor urbano na cidade. Embora tenha ficado clara a correlação inversa entre a concentração local da produção habitacional em relação à  proximidade das oportunidades de trabalho e renda, outros índices comparados não apresentaram os mesmos resultados. Também ficou constatado que, no âmbito do município, a produção longínqua dos conjuntos habitacionais não produziu significativa dispersão urbana, tendo os mesmos, em função do uso da verticalização, ocupado predominantemente terrenos e glebas intersticiais (vazios urbanos)

Efeito do ácido indol butírico e do carvão ativado no enraizamento in vitro de brotos de abacaxi ornmental (Ananas lucidus Miller).

A micropropagação poderá ser uma alternativa viável para aumentar o número de plantas por ano com a mesma característica genética, independente da época do ano e em menor espaço de tempo. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito do ácido indol butírico e do carvão ativado no enraizamento in vitro de brotos de abacaxi ornamental.bitstream/CNPAT-2010/8953/1/Pa-066.pd

Avaliação da multiplicação in vitro do abacaxi ornamental (Anonas lucidus Miller).

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a multiplicacao de gemas in vitro de Ananas lucidus.bitstream/CNPAT-2010/5396/1/Pa-056.pd

Differential expression of ABCF2 in newly diagnosed and dasatinib-treated chronic myeloid leukemia patients

sem informação1001PB173168568520th Congress of European-Hematology-Associatio

Influência dos meios de cultura sólido e líquido no alongamento de brotos in vitro de abacaxi ornamental (Ananas lucidus Miller).

Influencia dos meios de cultura solido e liquido no alongamento de brotoss in vitro de abacaxi ornamental.bitstream/CNPAT-2010/5395/1/Pa-057.pd

Photosynthetic and antioxidant responses to drought during sugarcane ripening

Water deficit is an important exogenous factor that enhances the influx of sucrose into sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) stem internodes during ripening, when photosynthetic ability in supplying sinks is essential. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that drought tolerance in sugarcane is associated with an effective antioxidant protection during the ripening phase that might maintain a favorable redox balance in chloroplasts and protect photosynthesis under drought conditions. Two commercial sugarcane varieties, IACSP94-2094 (tolerant) and IACSP96-2042 (sensitive), with contrasting behavior under water deficit, were subjected to water withholding during the ripening stage. Our results revealed that the tolerant variety was less affected by water deficit, maintaining hotosynthesis for a longer period and showing a faster recovery after rehydration as compared to the sensitive one. As consequence, the tolerant variety faced lesser excess of light energy at PSII. The maintenance of photosynthesis under water deficit and its fast recovery after rehydration resulted in the lower leaf H2O2 concentration and favorable redox status in the drought-tolerant genotype, which was associated with stimulation of superoxide dismutase during ripening. Our results also revealed that ferric superoxide dismutase isoforms were strongly enhanced under drought conditions, playing an important role in chloroplast redox homeostasis53454755

\u3cem\u3eTithonia diversifolia\u3c/em\u3e for Ruminant Nutrition

India and Brazil lead the world ranking of livestock enteric methane emissions (FAO 2006). According to FAO (2006), Brazil (9.6 Tg of CH4/year) is the highest emitter of methane from cattle, followed by India (8.6 Tg of CH4/year) and the USA (5.1 Tg of CH4/year). In livestock, methane (CH4) formed from enteric fermentation of carbohydrates is primarily responsible for the emissions in the sector. Regarding livestock methane emission, Delgado et al. (2012) evaluated 20 tree and shrub species using in vitro technique and demonstrated a reducing effect on the amount of methane when Tithonia diversifolia was compared with, for example, Cynodon nlemfuensis grass. Tithonia diversifolia belongs to the division - Sphermatophyta; class - Eudicotiledoneae; sub-class - Metaclamídeas; Order - Campanulate; Family - Asteraceae; Genre - Tithonia, and Species - Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.), Gray (Souza 2008). Tithonia diversifolia can be very useful in animal nutrition (Fig. 1) by increasing the protein content of animal diet at low cost (Murgueitio et al. 2010) as well as in the recovery of degraded soils for it grows in areas with low levels of fertility and has high ability to absorb phosphorus, even if it is unavailable to other forage species (Kwabiah et al. 2003). The objective of this study was to assess the nutritional qualities, including quantification of enteric methane generated during in vitro ruminal fermentation, of Tithonia diversifolia as an alternative forage for ruminant nutrition in the tropics

Prospective study of pregnants and babies with risk of congenital toxoplasmosis in municipal district of Rio Grande do Sul

This study followed up 2,126 pregnant women cared for at SUS day-care clinics (Public Health Insurance System) of the northwest of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. After serological screening we performed a follow up of all pregnant women and their babies. Serologic tests included: IgG, IgM, IgA and IgG avidity levels, mice inoculation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) also placentas and umbilical materials were tested using immunoperoxidase as well as clinical evaluation. Of all the pregnant women screened, 74.5% were reactive to toxoplasmosis, and 3.6% presented IgM seropositivity. At ophthalmic evaluation ten women had ocular lesions and one infant presented eye lesions and brain calcification. The presence of anti-T.gondii specific IgM throughout the entire pregnancy did not characterize acute phase infection, for this, complementary tests were necessary. The importance is underscored for attendance of the newborn of mothers presenting serology compatible with this infection even in the absence of signs and symptoms of congenital toxoplasmosis.A população estudada foi composta por 2.126 gestantes atendidas em unidades do Sistema Único de Saúde da região noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Após o screening sorológico inicial ocorreu o acompanhamento das gestantes, durante o pré-natal, e de seus bebês. Foram realizadas dosagens de IgG, IgM, IgA, Avidez de IgG, inoculação em camundongos, PCR e coleta de placenta e de cordões umbilicais para realizar a técnica de imuno-histoquímica além de avaliações clínicas. Das gestantes avaliadas, 74,5% eram IgG reagentes e 3,6% IgM reagentes. Nas avaliações oftalmológicas, foi observada lesão em dez gestantes e uma criança apresentou lesões oftalmológicas e calcificações cerebrais. A presença de IgM específico anti-T.gondii, durante toda a gestação não caracterizou a fase aguda recente da infecção, fazendo-se necessária a realização de testes complementares. Ressalta-se a importância do acompanhamento de neonatos de mães com sorologia compatível com a infecção mesmo sem sinais e sintomas sugestivos de toxoplasmose congênita.Fundação Estadual de Produção e Pesquisa em Saúde Secretaria da Saúde do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul Laboratório Central do EstadoUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Faculdade de FarmáciaFundação Oswaldo Cruz Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Departamento de ProtozoologiaHospital da Criança Santo AntônioEscola Paulista de MedicinaFundação Oswaldo Cruz Instituto Fernandes Figueira Departamento de Anatomia PatológicaFundação Oswaldo Cruz Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Departamento de Ciências BiológicasUNIFESP, EPMSciEL