Reduction of in-shell Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa H.B.K.) aflatoxin contamination by ozone gas application during storage

The susceptibility of the in-shell Brazil nut mycoflora and aflatoxins (AFLs) contamination to ozone (O3) gas during storage is reported. In-shell Brazil nuts obtained from retail market were submitted to O3 gas atmosphere at different concentrations immediately before to be stored. Samples were collected just after the gas exposure and every 30 days during the storage period to carry on mycological tests and AFLs analysis. A sensorial evaluation by descriptive quality analysis was carried out to check treated nuts sensory attributes according to consumer acceptance after gas exposure. The O3 treatment applied within 5 h at 31 mg/L was able to successfully inhibit the viability of fungi of the nut-contaminating microflora and so the toxigenic Aspergillus species from the day of application. AFLs were totally degraded in all samples whatever O3 concentration applied. No significant changes on sensory attributes were observed that could affect nut acceptability  after the O3 treatments and storage conditions applied in the present experiment. This procedure is tentatively applied at an Amazon State nut factory for checking its potential in mycotoxin risk contamination of in-shell Brazil nuts safeguarding under the Amazon region environment. Keywords: In-shell Brazil nut, Ozone, Mycoflora, Aflatoxin, Storage, Sensory evaluation

Ganho de peso de bubalinos sob três taxas de lotação em pastagem cultivada na ilha de Marajó.

bitstream/item/32694/1/CPATU-BP139.pd

Search for CP violation in D0 and D+ decays

A high statistics sample of photoproduced charm particles from the FOCUS (E831) experiment at Fermilab has been used to search for CP violation in the Cabibbo suppressed decay modes D+ to K-K+pi+, D0 to K-K+ and D0 to pi-pi+. We have measured the following CP asymmetry parameters: A_CP(K-K+pi+) = +0.006 +/- 0.011 +/- 0.005, A_CP(K-K+) = -0.001 +/- 0.022 +/- 0.015 and A_CP(pi-pi+) = +0.048 +/- 0.039 +/- 0.025 where the first error is statistical and the second error is systematic. These asymmetries are consistent with zero with smaller errors than previous measurements.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Implantação da Rede Temática GO-FAIR Agro Brasil: primeiros passos.

Resumo. O presente trabalho tem o objetivo de apresentar os esforços que estão em curso para a estruturação da Rede de Implementação Temática GO-FAIR Brasil Agro, sua relação com as iniciativas GO-FAIR Internacional e GO-FAIR Brasil. A importância dos pilares de mudança cultural, treinamento e infraestrutura também é destacada, bem como a proposta de objetivos da rede brasileira voltada para promover o compartilhamento e o reúso de dados de pesquisa em ciências agrárias, apoiado nos princípios FAIR. Como resultados, o trabalho mostra a trajetória percorrida até o momento e aponta para a elaboração de um Manifesto pactuado e construído através de participação das comunidades de Ciências Agrárias e afins.Organizado por Ana Paula Lüdtke Ferreira

Transcriptome profiling of ontogeny in the acridid grasshopper Chorthippus biguttulus

Acridid grasshoppers (Orthoptera:Acrididae) are widely used model organisms for developmental, evolutionary, and neurobiological research. Although there has been recent influx of orthopteran transcriptomic resources, many use pooled ontogenetic stages obscuring information about changes in gene expression during development. Here we developed a de novo transcriptome spanning 7 stages in the life cycle of the acridid grasshopper Chorthippus biguttulus. Samples from different stages encompassing embryonic development through adults were used for transcriptomic profiling, revealing patterns of differential gene expression that highlight processes in the different life stages. These patterns were validated with semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Embryonic development showed a strongly differentiated expression pattern compared to all of the other stages and genes upregulated in this stage were involved in signaling, cellular differentiation, and organ development. Our study is one of the first to examine gene expression during post-embryonic development in a hemimetabolous insect and we found that only the fourth and fifth instars had clusters of genes upregulated during these stages. These genes are involved in various processes ranging from synthesis of biogenic amines to chitin binding. These observations indicate that post-embryonic ontogeny is not a continuous process and that some instars are differentiated. Finally, genes upregulated in the imago were generally involved in aging and immunity. Our study highlights the importance of looking at ontogeny as a whole and indicates promising directions for future research in orthopteran development

Impact of district mental health care plans on symptom severity and functioning of patients with priority mental health conditions: the Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME) cohort protocol

Background: The Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME) sought to implement mental health care plans (MHCP) for four priority mental disorders (depression, alcohol use disorder, psychosis and epilepsy) into routine primary care in five low- and middle-income country districts. The impact of the MHCPs on disability was evaluated through establishment of priority disorder treatment cohorts. This paper describes the methodology of these PRIME cohorts. Methods: One cohort for each disorder was recruited across some or all five districts: Sodo (Ethiopia), Sehore (India) , Chitwan (Nepal), Dr. Kenneth Kaunda (South Africa) and Kamuli (Uganda), comprising 17 treatment cohorts in total (N = 2182). Participants were adults residing in the districts who were eligible to receive mental health treatment according to primary health care staff, trained by PRIME facilitators as per the district MHCP. Patients who screened positive for depression or AUD and who were not given a diagnosis by their clinicians (N = 709) were also recruited into comparison cohorts in Ethiopia, India, Nepal and South Africa. Caregivers of patients with epilepsy or psychosis were also recruited (N = 953), together with or on behalf of the person with a mental disorder, depending on the district. The target sample size was 200 (depression and AUD), or 150 (psychosis and epilepsy) patients initiating treatment in each recruiting district. Data collection activities were conducted by PRIME research teams. Participants completed follow-up assessments after 3 months (AUD and depression) or 6 months (psychosis and epilepsy), and after 12 months. Primary outcomes were impaired functioning, using the 12-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS), and symptom severity, assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (depression), the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUD), and number of seizures (epilepsy). Discussion: Cohort recruitment was a function of the clinical detection rate by primary health care staff, and did not meet all planned targets. The cross-country methodology reflected the pragmatic nature of the PRIME cohorts: while the heterogeneity in methods of recruitment was a consequence of differences in health systems and MHCPs, the use of the WHODAS as primary outcome measure will allow for comparison of functioning recovery across sites and disorders

The Indian cobra reference genome and transcriptome enables comprehensive identification of venom toxins

Snakebite envenoming is a serious and neglected tropical disease that kills ~100,000 people annually. High-quality, genome-enabled comprehensive characterization of toxin genes will facilitate development of effective humanized recombinant antivenom. We report a de novo near-chromosomal genome assembly of Naja naja, the Indian cobra, a highly venomous, medically important snake. Our assembly has a scaffold N50 of 223.35 Mb, with 19 scaffolds containing 95% of the genome. Of the 23,248 predicted protein-coding genes, 12,346 venom-gland-expressed genes constitute the \u27venom-ome\u27 and this included 139 genes from 33 toxin families. Among the 139 toxin genes were 19 \u27venom-ome-specific toxins\u27 (VSTs) that showed venom-gland-specific expression, and these probably encode the minimal core venom effector proteins. Synthetic venom reconstituted through recombinant VST expression will aid in the rapid development of safe and effective synthetic antivenom. Additionally, our genome could serve as a reference for snake genomes, support evolutionary studies and enable venom-driven drug discovery