Alterations of cardiorespiratory and motor profile of paralympic 5-a-side football athletes during 14-week in-season training

The aim of this study was to characterize the cardiorespiratory and motor performance characteristics of blind 5-a-side footballers from the Brazilian Paralympic Team. Seven male athletes were evaluated at before and after 14-week in-season training (weekly volume between 6.5 hours to 10.8 hours), through cardiorespiratory fitness test, Agility test (5x10), Running-based Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST) and Standing Long Jump Test (SLJT). The VO2max ranged from 51.9 (±3.8) to 54.3 (±5.0) mL.kg-1.min-1.VO2 at ventilatory threshold ranged from 48.4 (±4.4) to 41.1 (±6.8) mL.kg-1.min-1. Heart rate at ventilatory threshold ranged from 94.7 (±2.3) to 89.9 (±3.7) bpm. Regarding motor performance the values of medium Power Output ranged from 442 (± 63) to 421.9 (±66) Watts and Fatigue Index ranged from 63.1 (±9.4) to 53.9 (±14.8) W/s. Overall, our results show that while the performance of these athletes is inferior to that of professional players, their cardiorespiratory and motor performance is superior to that typical of semi-professional futsal athletes and, this study which can potentially suggest and contribute to the prescription of future training programs

Individual tree growth models for eucalyptus in northern Brazil

The diameter and height growth model is one of three submodels used for simulating individual tree growth. In Brazil, there are few studies on the dimensional growth of individual trees be they native or exotic species, despite their potential. This study aimed to evaluate diameter and height growth models for individual trees for eucalyptus stands and to validate the best fitting model. Tree diameter and height data were obtained from 48 permanent plots of unthinned stands of Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla hybrid located in northern Brazil. The evaluation of the diameter and height growth models was based on adjusted coefficient of determination, standard error of estimate as a percentage, trend, root mean square error and Akaike Information Criterion. Analysis also included distribution of residual percentage, statistical significance and signs of the coefficients. The Lundqvist-Korf model provided the most accurate estimates for diameter and height growth, in comparison with the other models, providing better statistical values, greater proximity to observed values and better distribution of residual percentages. The use of this type of model is feasible and can result in significant improvements in the accuracy of yield estimates

Estudo fitoquímico e avaliação in vitro da atividade anti-Trypanosoma cruzi cepa Y de Pilocarpus spicatus St. Hil. (Rutaceae)

A investigação química da espécie Pilocarpus spicatus, popularmente conhecida como jaborandi e usada na medicina tradicional para doenças como estomatite, febre, bronquite e psoríase, teve por objetivo o isolamento e/ou identificação de substâncias ativas e a avaliação da atividade antiparasitária dos extratos frente às formas epimastigotas de Trypanosoma cruzi. O estudo resultou na identificação de nove substâncias, tais como: tridecanona, 2-heptadecanona, espatulenol, aromadendreno, β-cariofileno, ácido 3α-hidroxitirucala-7,24-dien-21-óico, (+)-isoangenomalina, episesamina e sesamina. As estr uturas dos compostos foram elucidadas por análises espectroscópicas e comparação com dados da literatura. Os extratos hexânico e metanólico de folhas e raízes foram testados in vitro contra o Trypanosoma cruzi cepa Y e apresentaram atividade tripanomicida

Avaliação in vitro do sêmen congelado de carneiros com diluidor suplementado com miricetina

RESUMO O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito da suplementação do diluidor de congelação de sêmen ovino com o flavonoide miricetina contra os danos ocasionados aos espermatozoides. Oito pools de sêmen, obtidos de quatro reprodutores ovinos, foram congelados com diferentes concentrações de miricetina (0, 1, 10, 100 e 1000nM). Após o descongelamento, o sêmen foi avaliado quanto à cinética espermática, à integridade das membranas plasmática e acrossomal, ao potencial de membrana mitocondrial, aos níveis de ROS intracelular, à peroxidação lipídica e à estabilidade de membrana. Amostras tratadas com miricetina 10nM apresentaram menor percentual de células rápidas (P≤0,05), quando comparadas ao grupo miricetina 1000nM. Amostras do grupo controle apresentaram maior (P≤0,05) VAP que o grupo 10nM de miricetina, enquanto amostras criopreservadas com miricetina (10, 100 e 1000nM) evidenciaram maior (P<0,05) BCF, quando comparadas ao grupo controle. O grupo tratado com miricetina 1000nM apresentou maior percentual (P<0,05) de células com peroxidação lipídica, quando comparado ao grupo controle. Em conclusão, a suplementação do diluidor de criopreservação de sêmen ovino com 10 e 100nM de miricetina afeta a cinética espermática sem provocar alterações na estrutura geral do gameta, enquanto 1000nM de miricetina provoca mudanças na cinética associadas à danos peroxidativos

Racocetra tropicana, a new species in the Glomeromycetes from tropical areas

A new species of the arbuscular mycorrhiza forming Glomeromycetes, Racocetra tropicana,was recently recovered from the semi-humid Atlantic coast line of Northeastern Brazil and from sub-Saharan savannas of Benin (West Africa). It forms yellow to dark yellow glomerospores on (dark) yellow brown sporogenous cells. With age, the spores become yellow-brown, are 190–275 μm indiameter and have two triple-layered walls. The germination shield is hyaline to subhyaline withmultiple (4–10) lobes, which each may bear one germ tube initiation. Near complete 18S and partial28S sequences of the ribosomal gene place the new species into the Racocetra clade adjacent toR. gregaria. Morphologically R. tropicana is most similar to R. fulgida and R. castanea whose sporesare either lighter in color, or are generally larger and have substantially thicker outer and inner sporewalls, respectively. Other morphological characters that clearly separate the new from the latter two species are i) the characteristic sloughing semi-persistent outermost spore wall layer in liquid mountants when pressure and a back-forward movement is applied to the cover slide, and ii) the abrupt color change of its spores that become bright red to bright brownish-red when exposed to Melzer’s reagent. The new species was hitherto recovered from re-vegetated sand dune ecosystems of Paraíba State, Brazil, and from undisturbed savannas, traditional crop production systems and a long-term fallow in Benin but was not recovered from land following intensive agricultural use

Acaulospora sieverdingii, an ecologically diverse new fungus in the Glomeromycota, described from lowland temperate Europe and tropical West Africa

From a survey of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in agroecosystems in Central Europe and West Africa, an undescribed species of Acaulospora was recovered and is presented here under the epithet Acaulospora sieverdingii. Spores of A. sieverdingii are 60-80 μm in diam, hyaline to subhyaline to rarely light yellow and have multiple pitted depressions on the outer spore wall similar to those known for A. alpina, A. cavernata, A. paulinae and A. scrobiculata. The pits in A. sieverdingii are tiny and often irregular and resemble small dots (0.8-1.8 μm) or lines (0.5-1.2 x 1.8-2.5 μm). Analyses of the ITS1, 5.8S subunit and ITS2 regions of the rDNA resolved each of the fi ve species in a monophyletic wellsupported clade and indicate that A. sieverdingii is phylogenetically closer to A. paulinae, A. cavernata and A. denticulata than to A. scrobiculata. The new species is common in Central Europe only at altitudes below 800 m asl where, to date, it has been detected in crop rotation systems and grasslands in Poland, Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy. Under these conditions it may co-occur with A. paulinae, A. cavernata, A. scrobiculata and several other Acaulospora spp. A. sieverdingii was also recorded from subtropical and tropical agro-ecosystems and consequently appears to be adapted to ecologically diverse environments

Acaulospora minuta, a new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal species from subSaharan savannas of West Africa

A new arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal species of the genus Acaulospora (Glomeromycota) was frequently recovered from both undisturbed and cultivated agro-ecosystems of sub-Saharan West Africa, namely in Benin. It abundantly reproduced spores in trap cultures using Sorghum bicolor, Dioscorea cayenensis and Dioscorea rotundata in the glasshouse, and pure, monosporic cultures were readily established on Hieracium pilosella and Sorghum bicolor. It forms bright yellow-orange to orange-brown spores, (150-)175-230 in diameter, that have minute pits that are 0.5-1.2(-1.8) μm in diameter, 0.5-1.1 μm deep, and 1.0-2.5 μm apart. The species superfi cially resembles Acaulospora scrobiculata, which forms subhyaline to olive creamy spores that have larger, more irregular and deeper pits. Acaulospora minutawas one of the most frequent AM fungi collected during a study in the Guinea and Sudan Savannas in Benin. It was frequently recovered from yam (Dioscoreaspp.) fields, cultivated during the first year following savanna clearance, but was not recovered from fi elds later in the crop rotation cycle from either traditional or intensive agricultural ecosystems. It was also not recovered from long-term (> 7 years) regenerating savanna, under fallow following cultivation, indicating the vulnerability of this fungus to mechanical and/or biological disturbance, even under traditional West African low-input agro-ecosystems