Anatomical traits and structural components of peduncle associated with lodging in Avena sativa L.

Received: May 14th, 2020 ; Accepted: June 19th, 2020 ; Published: January 5th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] dramatically reduces the yield of cereals and increases the difficulty of mechanical harvesting. Because it is a complex phenomenon, new cultivars with genetic resistance to lodging is a sustainable alternative in agricultural production systems. This resistance is associated with a combination of factors, such as stem thickness and stiffness, being closely linked to anatomical traits and structural carbohydrates present in the stem. In the present study we compared, under field conditions, eight contrasting oat cultivars in terms of lodging resistance. Our aim in this study was to investigate the association of anatomical traits and structural components of the peduncle with resistance to lodging, aiming to assist in the plant selection process. In addition, a second objective was to understand the genetic dissimilarity among oat cultivars according to the characters studied. Some characteristics for potential indirect selection were studied in this work and if correlated with lodging can be used to identify superior genotypes. From the anatomical point of view, the correlation obtained between the internal vascular bundle and the lodging resistance factor allowed us to confirm that this trait can be used in indirect selection to lodging resistance. The structural components of peduncle, in the two ways explored in the present study, comparison of mean and correlation, did not demonstrate the potential to be used exclusively as plant selection characters traits for lodging resistance. There is noticeable variability in oat cultivars for most stem traits

Institutional stakeholders’ views on jaguar conservation issues in central Brazil

AbstractLarge carnivore management is typically a source of heated controversy worldwide and, in the Americas, jaguars (Panthera onca) are at the centre of many human–wildlife conflicts. Although findings suggest that social, rather than economic, factors are important reasons for why humans kill jaguars, few studies focus on stakeholder attitudes towards jaguar conservation beyond quantifying livestock depredation. Yet insights from other large carnivore conflicts demonstrate the importance of the political landscape and stakeholder attitudes in carnivore conservation. To explore the extent to which stakeholder views about jaguar conservation aligned with institutional arrangements, we conducted a stakeholder analysis among personnel working for key institutions in central Brazil. Using Q methodology, we identified three stakeholder perspectives focusing on: A) jaguars’ intrinsic right to exist; B) wider ecocentric values; and C) contesting jaguar-focused conservation. The three institutional stakeholder groups all accepted the jaguar’s fundamental right to exist and agreed that it was important to establish protected areas for jaguars. Yet, institutional stakeholder views diverged regarding the desired distribution of jaguars in Brazil, hunting policies, and the effects of hunting and development projects on jaguar conservation. These differences and their underlying motivations are important to consider for successful jaguar conservation strategies in Brazil

Valor nutricional do mel e pólen de abelhas sem ferrão da região Amazônica

Avaliou-se os constituintes nutricionais de amostras do mel e pólen das espécies Melipona seminigra merrillae (jandaíra), Melipona compressipes manaosensis (jupará), Melipona rufiventris paraensis (uruçu boca de ralo), provenientes do meliponário da Fazenda Poranga no município de Itacoatiara - AM e Meliponário Abelhudo em Manaus - AM. Os resultados demonstraram o potencial do mel como fonte de energia, particularmente a M. rufiventris com 305,3±2,4 kcal em 100g. O pólen da espécie M. compressipes apresentou a maior concentração de proteína 15,7±0,0% e energia 309,8±0,8 kcal. Tais constatações sugerem a implementação de novos estudos visando à incorporação destes produtos na dieta dos amazônidas, possibilitando uma nova fonte alternativa de alimento potencialmente nutritivo e saudável.<br>We evaluated the nutricional constituent of honey and pollen samples of the Melipona species seminigra merrillae (jandaíra) Melipona compressipes manaosensis (jupará), Melipona rufiventris paraensis (uruçu boca de ralo), proceeding from the Poranga Honey Farm in Itacoatiara - AM, and Meliponário Abelhudo in Manaus, AM. The results demonstrated the potencial of honey as a source of energy, particularly the kcal M. rufiventris with 305.3±2.4 kcal in 100g. The compressis pollen of species presented the highest concentration of protein 15.7±0.0 % and energy 309.8±0.8 kcal. Thus we suggest the implementation of new studies aiming at the incorporation of these products in the diet of the Amazon population, making possible a new potentially nutritional and alternative healthful food source

Synthetic prions with novel strain-specified properties

Prions are infectious proteins that possess multiple self-propagating structures. The information for strains and structural specific barriers appears to be contained exclusively in the folding of the pathological isoform, PrP(Sc). Many recent studies determined that de novo prion strains could be generated in vitro from the structural conversion of recombinant (rec) prion protein (PrP) into amyloidal structures. Our aim was to elucidate the conformational diversity of pathological recPrP amyloids and their biological activities, as well as to gain novel insights in characterizing molecular events involved in mammalian prion conversion and propagation. To this end we generated infectious materials that possess different conformational structures. Our methodology for the prion conversion of recPrP required only purified rec full-length mouse (Mo) PrP and common chemicals. Neither infected brain extracts nor amplified PrP(Sc) were used. Following two different in vitro protocols recMoPrP converted to amyloid fibrils without any seeding factor. Mouse hypothalamic GT1 and neuroblastoma N2a cell lines were infected with these amyloid preparations as fast screening methodology to characterize the infectious materials. Remarkably, a large number of amyloid preparations were able to induce the conformational change of endogenous PrPC to harbor several distinctive proteinase-resistant PrP forms. One such preparation was characterized in vivo habouring a synthetic prion with novel strain specified neuropathological and biochemical properties