Quality and bioactive compounds in fruit of foreign accessions of mango conserved in an Active Germplasm Bank.

The aim of this study was to characterise the quality and levels of bioactive compounds in the fruit of 22 foreign accessions of the mango belonging to the Active Germplasm Bank of Embrapa Semiárido. Sixty fruits from each of the accessions: Florigon, Haden, 65, Irwin, M 13269, Momi-K, Scuper Many, Simmonds, Tommy Atkins, Van Dyke, Winter, Zill, Amrapali, Olour, Aplle DCG 406, Mon Amon DCG 407, Black Java, Kensington, Chené, Manila, Manzanillo and Maya, were harvested upon reaching physiological maturity, one half being analysed when harvested and the other half stored at ambient temperature (25.4 ± 2.9 ºC and 41 ± 9% RH) until ripe. The experimental design was completely randomised in a 22 x 2 factorial (accession x maturity stage), with three replications of ten fruits. The accessions Chene, Momi-K and Van Dyke stood out for their physical attributes: weight, length, diameter and firmness of pulp, and for their good post-harvest conservation. The accession Amrapali was different because of its high levels of soluble solids, total soluble sugars, starch, ascorbic acid and carotenoids, suggesting a high potential for insertion into a breeding program aimed at the quality of the mango

Rationale, study design, and analysis plan of the Alveolar Recruitment for ARDS Trial (ART): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is associated with high in-hospital mortality. Alveolar recruitment followed by ventilation at optimal titrated PEEP may reduce ventilator-induced lung injury and improve oxygenation in patients with ARDS, but the effects on mortality and other clinical outcomes remain unknown. This article reports the rationale, study design, and analysis plan of the Alveolar Recruitment for ARDS Trial (ART). METHODS/DESIGN: ART is a pragmatic, multicenter, randomized (concealed), controlled trial, which aims to determine if maximum stepwise alveolar recruitment associated with PEEP titration is able to increase 28-day survival in patients with ARDS compared to conventional treatment (ARDSNet strategy). We will enroll adult patients with ARDS of less than 72 h duration. The intervention group will receive an alveolar recruitment maneuver, with stepwise increases of PEEP achieving 45 cmH2O and peak pressure of 60 cmH2O, followed by ventilation with optimal PEEP titrated according to the static compliance of the respiratory system. In the control group, mechanical ventilation will follow a conventional protocol (ARDSNet). In both groups, we will use controlled volume mode with low tidal volumes (4 to 6 mL/kg of predicted body weight) and targeting plateau pressure 6430 cmH2O. The primary outcome is 28-day survival, and the secondary outcomes are: length of ICU stay; length of hospital stay; pneumothorax requiring chest tube during first 7 days; barotrauma during first 7 days; mechanical ventilation-free days from days 1 to 28; ICU, in-hospital, and 6-month survival. ART is an event-guided trial planned to last until 520 events (deaths within 28 days) are observed. These events allow detection of a hazard ratio of 0.75, with 90% power and two-tailed type I error of 5%. All analysis will follow the intention-to-treat principle. DISCUSSION: If the ART strategy with maximum recruitment and PEEP titration improves 28-day survival, this will represent a notable advance to the care of ARDS patients. Conversely, if the ART strategy is similar or inferior to the current evidence-based strategy (ARDSNet), this should also change current practice as many institutions routinely employ recruitment maneuvers and set PEEP levels according to some titration metho

Performance de híbridos elites experimentais e comerciais de milho e da Urochloa ruziziense cultivar Brachiaria ruziziense em cultivo consorciado.

A prática do cultivo consorciado é considerada uma das melhores alternativas para a sustentabilidade dos sistemas agrícolas tropicais. O estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o desempenho de híbridos elites experimentais de milho em consórcio com a forrageira (Urochloa ruziziense)

Hematologia e bioquímica sérica de bovinos curraleiro pé duro infectados por Babesia spp. e Leptospira spp.

A Babesia spp. e a Leptospira spp. são importantes enfermidades em sistemas de produção pecuária de países tropicais como o Brasil podendo causar alterações laboratoriais em animais clinicamente sadios. Esse trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar os títulos de anticorpos anti-Babesia bovis, anti-Babesia bigemina e anti-Leptospira interrogans, em bovinos da raça Curraleiro Pé Duro e correlacioná-los às características hematológicas e da bioquímica sérica em animais sadios submetidos à infecção natural. Em 2003 foram amostrados dois rebanhos, localizados no Estado de Goiás e Tocantins e avaliadas 282 amostras para detecção de anticorpos anti-B. bovis e anti- B. bigemina e 236 amostras para detecção de anticorpos anti-Leptospira spp. Foram realizados, hemograma, determinação da atividade sérica de Aspartato Amino Transferase (AST), Alanina Amino Transferase (ALP) e Gama Glutamil Transferase (GGT) e a quantificação no soro da proteína total (PT), albumina, colesterol, uréia, creatinina e bilirrubina, de todos os animais amostrados. Obteve-se 92,90% (n=262) de positividade para B. bovis, 85,46% (n=241) para B. bigemina e 33,05% (n=78) para L. interrogans. Não houve qualquer alteração nos valores médios hematológicos e da bioquímica sérica em relação aos valores de referência. Os resultados não mostraram nenhuma correlação entre títulos de anticorpos anti-Leptospiras e as variáveis laboratoriais avaliadas. O nível de anticorpos específicos para Babesia spp. apresentou correlação positiva com os valores de hemácias, hemoglobina, leucócitos totais e linfócitos, além de AST, ALP, bilirrubina direta (BD), colesterol e creatinina. Concluiu-se que as correlações observadas entre os anticorpos anti-Babesia sp. estão relacionados principalmente ao estímulo do sistema imunológico, funções hepática e renal. Porém, como todos os valores encontrados estão dentro do intervalo de referência, concluiu-se que não houve manifestação patológica decorrente da infecção ou de maiores títulos de imunoglobulinas.bitstream/item/171695/1/Juliano-BP-Curraleiro-final.pd

Exit and Failure of Credit Unions in Brazil: A Risk Analysis

This study aims to investigate the factors that affect the market exit of Brazilian singular credit unions from 1995 to 2009; it also identifies and lists the determinants of various types of market exits and analyzes whether profitability is a significant factor for credit union survival. This study was conducted with accounting data provided by the Central Bank of Brazil, which derives only from individual cooperatives, i.e. singular credit unions. Quarterly financial statements from these credit unions that were active from 1995 to the second quarter of 2009 were employed, totaling 71,325 observations for 1,929 credit unions. Based on survival and the model of competing risks (such as the Cox, Exponential, Weibull, Gompertz, and Competing Risk models), the results show that there is no statistical evidence to ensure a correlation between profitability and credit union survival. The results also suggest that the size of credit unions plays a key role in their survival and longevity and that their funding and investment management are related to their survival and risk of market exit. In conclusion, the results confirm the initial idea that the duality inherent to credit unions - cooperative principles versus economic efficiency - might influence the stability, survival, and longevity of these institutions. Such results may also imply that a credit union embracing the rationale of a private bank will become more estranged from its members, something which will hinder its future operations and increase the likelihood of its exit from the market