Cytomegalovirus Pseudotumor of the Colon in an HIV Patient

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of severe opportunistic viral disease among patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and colitis is the most frequent manifestation of CMV infection. Nevertheless, the development of a colonic pseudotumor is a rare benign entity that can be easily misdiagnosed as a colonic neoplasm if the radiologist is not aware of this condition. We present a case of a 42-year-old male with a CMV pseudotumor of the colon. Imaging findings on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are illustrated. Discussion of the differential diagnoses, based on clinical and imaging findings, is performed in order to propose the right diagnosis, which was histologically confirmed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tribological behaviour of microalloyed and conventional C–Mn rail steels in a pure sliding condition

This paper compares the tribological behaviour of microalloyed rail steel with conventional C–Mn rail steel under different test conditions (load, temperature and humidity). Pin-on-disc tribological tests were performed inside a climate chamber under different loads (20, 30 and 40 N), relative humidity (15, 55 and 70%) and temperatures (20 and 40 ℃). After the friction and wear tests, the worn surfaces were analysed using both confocal and scanning electron microscopies. The results obtained show that the use of microalloyed steel in railway applications under severe conditions (high loads and humidity) could lead to increased service life of the rails and could extend the time between maintenance operations

APOLO-Bari, an internet-based program for longitudinal support of bariatric surgery patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Despite evidence of successful weight loss for bariatric surgery patients, some patients experience considerable weight regain over the long term. Given the strong association between post-surgery health behaviors and outcomes, aftercare intervention to address key behaviors appears to be a reasonable relapse-prevention strategy. As the burden of obesity rates increases in healthcare centers, an internet-based program appears to be a reasonable strategy for supporting bariatric surgery patients in the long term. The primary purpose of the current project is to develop and test the efficacy and perceived utility of APOLO-Bari.Methods/design: This study is a randomized control trial, which will be conducted in two hospital centers in the North of Portugal; it includes a control group receiving treatment as usual and an intervention group receiving the APOLO-Bari program for one year in addition to treatment as usual. A total of 180 male and female participants who underwent bariatric surgery (gastric sleeve or gastric bypass surgery) for 12 to 20 months will be recruited. Both groups will complete a similar set of questionnaires at baseline, every 4 months until the end of the intervention, and at 6 and 12 months follow-up. Assessment includes anthropometric variables and psychological self-report measures. The primary outcome measure will be weight regain measured at the end of treatment, and at 6 and 12 months follow-up. The secondary aims are to test the cost-effectiveness of the intervention and to investigate psychological predictors and trajectories of weight regain. APOLO-Bari was developed to address the weight regain problem in the bariatric population by offering additional guidance to bariatric patients during the postoperative period. The program includes: (a) a psychoeducational cognitive-behavioral-based self-help manual, (b) a weekly feedback messaging system that sends a feedback statement related to information reported by the participant, and (c) interactive chat sessions scheduled witThis research was partially supported by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia through a European Union COMPETE program grant to Eva Conceicao (IF/01219/2014 and PTDC/MHC-PCL/4974/2012), a doctoral scholarship to Ana Pinto-Bastos (SFRH/BD/104159/2014), a doctoral scholarship to Sofia Ramalho (SFRH/BD/104182/2014), and a postdoctoral scholarship to Ana Rita Vaz (SFRH/BPD/94490/2013), co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (UID/PSI/01662/2013).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The physiological responses of cacao to the environment and the implications for climate change resilience. A review

Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is a tropical perennial crop which is of great economic importance to the confectionary industry and to the economies of many countries of the humid tropics where it is grown. Some recent studies have suggested climate change could severely impact cacao production in West Africa. It is essential to incorporate our understanding of the physiology and genetic variation within cacao germplasm when discussing the implications of climate change on cacao productivity and developing strategies for climate resilience in cacao production. Here we review the current research on the physiological responses of cacao to various climate factors. Our main findings are 1) water limitation causes significant yield reduction in cacao but genotypic variation in sensitivity is evident, 2) in the field cacao experiences higher temperatures than is often reported in the literature, 3) the complexity of the cacao/ shade tree interaction can lead to contradictory results, 4) elevated CO2 may alleviate some negative effects of climate change 5) implementation of mitigation strategies can help reduce environmental stress, 6) significant gaps in the research need addressing to accelerate the development of climate resilience. Harnessing the significant genetic variation apparent within cacao germplasm is essential to develop modern varieties capable of high yields in non-optimal conditions. Mitigation strategies will also be essential but to use shading to best effect shade tree selection is crucial to avoid resource competition. Cacao is often described as being sensitive to climate change but genetic variation, adaptive responses, appropriate mitigation strategies and interactive climate effects should all be considered when predicting the future of cacao production. Incorporating these physiological responses to various environmental conditions and developing a deeper understanding of the processes underlying these responses will help to accelerate the development of a more resource use efficient tree ensuring sustainable production into the future

Characterization of genetic variability among common bean genotypes by morphological descriptors

The purpose of this study was to characterize the genetic variability in 100 genotypes of the Active Germplasm Bank of common bean of the Federal University of Viçosa, by morphological descriptors, classify them in groups of genetic similarity and to identify the degree of relevance of descriptors of genetic divergence. The genotypes were evaluated based on 22 quantitative and qualitative morphological descriptors. The high-yielding genotypes V 7936, Gold Gate, LM 95103904, 1829 S 349 Venezuela, and PF 9029975, CNFC 9454 and Fe 732015, with upright growth, have potential for use as parents in common bean breeding programs. By genetic divergence analysis, the genotypes were clustered in eight groups of genetic dissimilarity. By methods of principal components, 9 of the 22 descriptors were eliminated, for being redundant or little variable, suggesting that 10-20 morphological descriptors can be used in studies of characterization of genetic variation

Effect of temperature on the reproduction of Bracon vulgaris Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a parasitoid of the cotton boll weevil

This research studied the effect of temperature on the reproduction of Bracon vulgaris Ashmead, an ectoparasitoid of cotton boll weevil ( Anthonomus grandis Boheman) at constant temperatures of 20, 25 and 30ºC, 70 ± 10% RH and a photophase of 14 h. Females of the parasitoid produced a greater number of eggs when exposed to 25ºC (124.65 eggs) in relation to those exposed to 20 (43.40 eggs) and 30ºC (49.60 eggs). The number of parasitized larvae per female of B. vulgaris at 25ºC (71.75) was greater than at 20ºC (31.40) and 30ºC (25.15). The daily intrinsic rates of increase (rm) were - 0.007 at 20ºC, 0.07 at 25ºC and 0.03 at 30ºC, revealing that the temperature of 25ºC produced increases of 1,100 and 133% in the value rm in relation to temperatures of 20 and 30ºC, respectively. In programs of biological control of the boll weevil using innoculative releases, adult females of B. vulgaris with approximately five (at 25 or 30ºC) or 20 day old (at 20ºC) should be used; when using innundative releases, adult females of B. vulgaris , with ages between 11 and 31; 9 and 29 or 3 and 14 days, respectively, at 20, 25 or 30ºC should be used.Estudamos os efeitos da temperatura na reprodução de Bracon vulgaris Ashmead, ectoparasitóide do bicudo-do-algodoeiro, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, em câmaras climatizadas, em temperaturas constantes de 20, 25 and 30ºC, umidade relativa do ar de 70 ± 10% e fotofase de 14 h. As fêmeas do parasitóide produziram mais ovos a 25ºC (124,65 ovos) do que aquelas expostas a 20 (43,40 ovos) e a 30ºC (49,60 ovos). O número médio de larvas parasitadas por fêmea de B. vulgaris a 25ºC(71,75 larvas) foi maior do que a 20ºC (31,40 larvas) e 30ºC (25,15 larvas). As taxas diárias de aumento (rm) foram -0,007 a 20ºC, 0,07 a 25ºC e 0,03 a 30ºC, indicando que a temperatura de 25ºC produziu aumento de 1100 e 133% no valor de rm em relação às temperaturas de 20 e 30ºC, respectivamente. Nos programas de controle biológico do bicudo-do-algodoeiro, usando liberações inoculativas deve-se utilizar fêmeas adultasde B. vulgaris com aproximadamente 5 dias (a 25 ou 30ºC) ou 20 dias de idade (a 20ºC); quando usando liberações inundativas, utilizar fêmeas adultas de B. vulgaris , com idade entre 11 e 31 dias (a 20ºC); 9 e 29 dias (a 25ºC) ou 3 e 14 dias (a 30ºC)

Application of neural networks to predict volume in eucalyptus

The aim of this study was to evaluate the methodology of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) in order to predict wood volume in eucalyptus and its impacts on the selection of superior families, and to compare artificial neural network with regression models. Data used were obtained in a random block design with 140 half-sib families with five replications at three years of age, and four replications at six years of age, both with five plants per plot. The volume was estimated using ANN and regression models. It was used 2000 and 1500 data to train ANN, and 1500 and 1300 to validate ANN for 3 and 6 years of age, respectively. It is concluded that ANN can help improving the accuracy to measure the volume in eucalyptus trees, and to automate the process of forestry inventory and were more accurate in predicting wood volume than almost all regression models

The inheritance of late blight resistance derived from Solanum habrochaites

Late blight caused by the oomycete Phytophthora infestans is a destructive disease of tomato in Brazil and other tropical and subtropical regions. The purpose of the present study was to analyses the inheritance of resistance to late blight and determine the genetic factors contributing to the resistance in the inbred line in '163A'. The Line '163A' resulted from interspecific cross between Solanum lycopersicum and S. habrochaites f. glabratum. Inoculated field with mixture isolates of pathogen with 1000 spores mL-1 and naturally infested field trials showed that the expression of '163A' against multiple isolates of the pathogen was stable. The genetic analysis supported the hypothesis of two recessive genes controlling the resistance. The scaling test of additive-dominance model showed that is a good fit for the data confirming the absence or neglect of epistasis