Selection of native trees for intercropping with coffee in the Atlantic Rainforest biome

A challenge in establishing agroforestry systems is ensuring that farmers are interested in the tree species, and are aware of how to adequately manage these species. This challenge was tackled in the Atlantic Rainforest biome (Brazil), where a participatory trial with agroforestry coffee systems was carried out, followed by a participatory systematisation of the farmers experiences. Our objective was to identify the main tree species used by farmers as well as their criteria for selecting or rejecting tree species. Furthermore, we aimed to present a specific inventory of trees of the Leguminosae family. In order to collect the data, we reviewed the bibliography of the participatory trial, visited and interviewed the farmers and organised workshops with them. The main farmers' criteria for selecting tree species were compatibility with coffee, amount of biomass, production and the labour needed for tree management. The farmers listed 85 tree species; we recorded 28 tree species of the Leguminosae family. Most trees were either native to the biome or exotic fruit trees. In order to design and manage complex agroforestry systems, family farmers need sufficient knowledge and autonomy, which can be reinforced when a participatory methodology is used for developing on-farm agroforestry systems. In the case presented, the farmers learned how to manage, reclaim and conserve their land. The diversification of production, especially with fruit, contributes to food security and to a low cost/benefit ratio of agroforestry systems. The investigated agroforestry systems showed potential to restore the degraded landscape of the Atlantic Rainforest biome

Replicate Periodic Windows in the Parameter Space of Driven Oscillators

In the bi-dimensional parameter space of driven oscillators, shrimp-shaped periodic windows are immersed in chaotic regions. For two of these oscillators, namely, Duffing and Josephson junction, we show that a weak harmonic perturbation replicates these periodic windows giving rise to parameter regions correspondent to periodic orbits. The new windows are composed of parameters whose periodic orbits have periodicity and pattern similar to stable and unstable periodic orbits already existent for the unperturbed oscillator. These features indicate that the reported replicate periodic windows are associated with chaos control of the considered oscillators

Estudos sobre a nutrição mineral do milho: II - deficiências de macronutrientes na variedade Piranão

Corn plants, Piranão variety, were grown in nutrient solution, complete and with omission of one macronutrient each time, in order to gain information on the effects of treatments on growth, symptoms of deficiency, and mineral composition of the leaves. The following symptoms of deficiency were obtained: Nitrogen -- plants underdeveloped; "V" shaped chlorosis beginning in the older leaves followed by drying and necrosis; Phosphorus - older leaves dark green with a purple hve; Potassium - plants underdeveloped; marginal chlorisis and necrosis in the older leaves; iron induced chlorosis in the younger leaves; Calcium - plants very underdeveloped due to death of apical merystem; younger leaves showing tip and marginal chlorosis and afterwards necrosis and break down of the tissue; wide whitish areas in the younger leaves; Magnesium - plants very underdeveloped; internerval chlorosis in older leaves first, proceeding to the young ones; Sulfur - absence of marked symptoms, except for a slight chlorosis in the younger leaves. Dry matter production obeyed the following decreasing order: Complete, minus S, minus P, minus K, minus Mg, minus N and minus Ca. Ears were obtained only in treatments complete and minus S. Top/root ratio decreased according to this order: minus S, complete, minus K, minus Mg, minus N, minus P and minus Ca. The macronutrient content for the treatment complete was the following respectively for lower and upper, leaves: N - 2.76 and 2.52%; P - 0.59 and 0.53%; K - 2.25 and 2.26%;Ca - 2.17 and 1.85;Mg - 0.82 and0.66;S - 0.38 and 0.32. The values of the element corresponding to each treatment were: N - 1.84 and 1.22 (that is: lower leaves in the minus N plants had 1 84% N, whereas the upper leaves in same treatment had 1.22% N; P - 0.14 and 0.17%; K - 0.29 and 0.78%; Ca - 0.29 and 0.05; Mg -0.09 and 0.05%; S- 0.31 and 0.26%.Foram induzidos sintomas de carência de macronutrientes no milho, var. Piranão, exceto no caso do enxofre. Os níveis foliares de N, P, K, Ca, Mg e S foram determinados nas plantas sujeitos à nutrição completa e às deficiências de macronutrientes

Avaliação da aterosclerose subclínica e de níveis plasmáticos de LDL minimamente modificada em pacientes com espondilite anquilosante e sua correlação com a atividade da doença

AbstractIntroductionAccelerated atherosclerosis has been shown in some autoimmune diseases, mainly in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Although high preva- lence of corticosteroids use may be a confounding factor due to their detrimental effects on several risk factors, systemic inflammation per se is supposed to play an important role in atherogenesis in these patients.MethodsWe have evaluated sub-clinical atherosclerosis and plasma levels of circulating electronegative LDL, which represents the fraction of LDL that is minimally modified, in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Fourteen patients who fulfilled the modified New York criteria for AS were compared with 13 paired controls. Carotid intimal-media thick- ness (IMT) was assessed by ultrasonography bilaterally in common carotid artery, internal carotid artery and in the bifurcation. Groups were homogeneous regarding cardiovascular risk factors. Only a single patient in AS group was in use of corticosteroid.ResultsThe presence of active inflammation was demonstrated by elevated BASDAI and higher CRP levels and in patients versus controls (12.36 vs. 3.45mg/dl, P = 0.002). No dif- ference was found in carotid IMT between both groups, in any site of artery. Averaged IMT (6 measurements, at 3 pre-specified sites bilaterally) was 0.72 ± 0.28 in AS group and 0.70 ± 0.45mm in controls (P = 0.91). Minimally modified LDL did not differ significantly either between patients and controls (14.03 ± 17.40 vs. 13.21 ± 10.21; P = 0.88).ConclusionsPatients with AS did not show increased carotid IMT in comparison to con- trols. In the same way, circulating plasma levels of LDL (-), did not differ significantly in both groups