Opção de cultivo intercalar de cafeeiro irrigado com milho e feijão no semiárido mineiro

The objective was to appoint an intercropping option for the cultivation of sprinkler irrigated coffee crops with corn and beans. During the first three semesters after its planting, the cropping coffee was carried out with different intercropping systems: two corn crops planted in 3 rows and one crop of 4 rows of dry beans; one crop of corn in 3 rows followed by one crop of dry beans in 6 rows and one crop of corn in 3 rows together with 2 rows of beans; two crops of corn planted in 2 rows only; 2 crops of 4 rows of beans; 2 crops of 6 lines of dry beans; coffee only. Randomized blocks with four replicates was used. Coffee yield without corn or beans was 47 bags of 60 kg ha-1. The intercropped systems that used three lines of maize resulted in high corn yield of 13.73 Mg.ha-1 but it was harmful to growth and coffee yield; the system that used two lines of maize produced 8.36 Mg.ha-1 of corn and 32 bags of coffee per hectare. The intercropped system with 2 crops of 4 rows of beans; 2 crops of 6 lines of dry beans didn´t affect coffee development and yield and produced 1.72 and 2.21 Mg.ha-1 of beans. The intercrops had positive economic return. The intercropped system with two crops of six lines of beans is the technical and economical option suitable for the formation of sprinkler irrigated coffee crop in the semiarid region of Minas Gerais, Brazil.Objetivou-se indicar uma opção de cultivo intercalar de cafeeiro irrigado por aspersão com milho e feijão. Durante os três primeiros semestres após o plantio, o cafeeiro foi cultivado com diferentes sistemas intercalares: duas safras de três linhas de milho e uma de quatro linhas de feijão; uma safra de três linhas de milho, uma de seis linhas de feijão e uma safra de três linhas de milho intercaladas com duas linhas de feijão; duas safras de duas linhas de milho; duas safras de quatro linhas de feijão; duas safras de seis linhas de feijão e cafeeiro em monocultivo. O ensaio foi conduzido em blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições. A produtividade do cafeeiro em monocultivo foi de 47 sc.ha-1. Os sistemas intercalares que utilizaram três linhas de milho apresentam produtividades médias de milho de 13,73 ton.ha-1e foram prejudiciais ao cafeeiro, cuja produtividade foi 14, 38 sc.ha-1. No sistema com duas safras de duas linhas de milho, a produtividade do milho foi de 8,36 ton.ha-1 e do cafeeiro 32 sc.ha-1. Nos sistemas intercalares com duas safras de quatro linhas de feijão e duas safras de seis linhas de feijão, as produtividades do feijão alcançaram 1720 e 2210 kg.ha-1, respectivamente, e não interferiram na produtividade dos cafeeiros (média de 47 sc.ha-1). Os sistemas intercalares apresentam retornos econômicos positivos. O sistema intercalar com duas safras de seis linhas de feijão é a opção técnica e econômica indicada para formação do cafeeiro irrigado por aspersão no semiárido de Minas Gerais

Anti-tumor efficiency of Perillylalcohol/β-Cyclodextrin inclusion complexes in a sarcoma S180-induced mice model

The low solubility and high volatility of perillyl alcohol (POH) compromise its bioavailability and potential use as chemotherapeutic drug. In this work, we have evaluated the anticancer activity of POH complexed with -cyclodextrin (-CD) using three complexation approaches. Molecular docking suggests the hydrogen-bond between POH and -cyclodextrin in molar proportion was 1:1. Thermal analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed that the POH was enclosed in the -CD cavity. Also, there was a significant reduction of particle size thereof, indicating a modification of the -cyclodextrin crystals. The complexes were tested against human L929 fibroblasts after 24 h of incubation showing no signs of cytotoxicity. Concerning the histopathological results, the treatment with POH/-CD at a dose of 50 mg/kg promoted approximately 60% inhibition of tumor growth in a sarcoma S180-induced mice model and the reduction of nuclear immunoexpression of the Ki67 antigen compared to the control group. Obtained data suggest a significant reduction of cycling cells and tumor proliferation. Our results confirm that complexation of POH/-CD not only solves the problem related to the volatility of the monoterpene but also increases its efficiency as an antitumor agent.This work was supported by the Banco do Nordeste (grant FUNDECI/2016.0015), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa e à Inovação Tecnológica do Estado de Sergipe (Fapitec) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). Eliana B. Souto would like to acknowledge the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT/MCT) and from European Funds (PRODER/COMPETE) for the project UIDB/04469/2020 (strategic fund), co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Otoliths-composed gelatin/sodium alginate scaffolds for bone regeneration

Evidence that otoliths, mineral-rich limestone concrescences present in the inner ear of bone fishes, can accelerate bone formation in vivo has been previously reported. The goal of this work was the development, characterization, and evaluation of the cytocompatibility of otoliths-incorporated sodium alginate and gelatin scaffolds. Cynoscion acoupaderived otoliths were characterized by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (FRX), particle size, free lime, and weight loss by calcination. Furthermore, otoliths were incorporated into sodium alginate (ALG/OTL-s) or gelatin (GEL/OTL-s) scaffolds, previously developed by freeze-drying. Then, the scaffolds were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared spectroscopy with Fourier transform (FTIR), swelling tests, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cytotoxicity assays were run against J774.G8 macrophages and MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts. Data obtained from TGA/DTG, DSC, and FTIR analyses confirmed the interaction between otoliths and the polymeric scaffolds. SEM showed the homogeneous porous 3D structure rich in otolith micro-fragments in both scaffolds. Swelling of the GEL/OTL-s (63.54±3.0%) was greater than of ALG/OTL-s (13.36±9.9%) (p0.05) and significantly higher than that treated with Triton-X (p0.05). However, by 48 h, only ALG/OTL-s showed growth similar to control (p>0.05), whereas GEL/OTL showed a significantly lower growth index (p<0.05). In conclusion, the physicochemical profiles suggest proper interaction between the otoliths and the two developed polymeric 3D scaffolds. Moreover, both materials showed cytocompatibility with J774.G8 macrophages but the growth of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts was higher when exposed to ALG/OTL-s. These data suggest that sodium alginate/otoliths scaffolds are potential biomaterials to be used in bone regeneration applications.We would like to thank the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Foundation for Research and Technological Innovation Support of the State of Sergipe for the financial support in this study. EMBS acknowledges the sponsorship of the projects M-ERA-NET-0004/2015-PAIRED and UIDB/04469/2020 (strategic fund), received support from the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation, Ministry of Science and Education (FCT/MEC) through national funds, and was co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Neotropical freshwater fisheries : A dataset of occurrence and abundance of freshwater fishes in the Neotropics

The Neotropical region hosts 4225 freshwater fish species, ranking first among the world's most diverse regions for freshwater fishes. Our NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set is the first to produce a large-scale Neotropical freshwater fish inventory, covering the entire Neotropical region from Mexico and the Caribbean in the north to the southern limits in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. We compiled 185,787 distribution records, with unique georeferenced coordinates, for the 4225 species, represented by occurrence and abundance data. The number of species for the most numerous orders are as follows: Characiformes (1289), Siluriformes (1384), Cichliformes (354), Cyprinodontiformes (245), and Gymnotiformes (135). The most recorded species was the characid Astyanax fasciatus (4696 records). We registered 116,802 distribution records for native species, compared to 1802 distribution records for nonnative species. The main aim of the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set was to make these occurrence and abundance data accessible for international researchers to develop ecological and macroecological studies, from local to regional scales, with focal fish species, families, or orders. We anticipate that the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set will be valuable for studies on a wide range of ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, fishery pressure, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, and the impacts of species invasion and climate change. There are no copyright restrictions on the data, and please cite this data paper when using the data in publications