Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases

The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of aerobic metabolism, and while these particular "reactive oxygen species" (ROSs) can exhibit a number of biological effects, they are not of themselves excessively reactive and thus they are not especially damaging at physiological concentrations. However, their reactions with poorly liganded iron species can lead to the catalytic production of the very reactive and dangerous hydroxyl radical, which is exceptionally damaging, and a major cause of chronic inflammation. We review the considerable and wide-ranging evidence for the involvement of this combination of (su)peroxide and poorly liganded iron in a large number of physiological and indeed pathological processes and inflammatory disorders, especially those involving the progressive degradation of cellular and organismal performance. These diseases share a great many similarities and thus might be considered to have a common cause (i.e. iron-catalysed free radical and especially hydroxyl radical generation). The studies reviewed include those focused on a series of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological diseases, where iron can be found at the sites of plaques and lesions, as well as studies showing the significance of iron to aging and longevity. The effective chelation of iron by natural or synthetic ligands is thus of major physiological (and potentially therapeutic) importance. As systems properties, we need to recognise that physiological observables have multiple molecular causes, and studying them in isolation leads to inconsistent patterns of apparent causality when it is the simultaneous combination of multiple factors that is responsible. This explains, for instance, the decidedly mixed effects of antioxidants that have been observed, etc...Comment: 159 pages, including 9 Figs and 2184 reference

Relationship between climate and the progress of the asian soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) in two micro-regions of Paraná State /<br> Relações entre o clima e o progresso da ferrugem asiática (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) em duas micro-regiões do Estado do Paraná

The objective of the work was to study the influence of the climate on the progress of the soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) under field conditions. Two assays were carried out during the 2005/2006 season in Castro and Arapoti regions, Paraná. The epidemic was divided in three periods: sowing until first symptoms of disease; beginning of the disease until severity of 20% and severity of 20% until maximum severity. The rust symptoms occurred in Castro at 78 days and in Arapoti at 82 days after the sowing. The biggest duration of leaf wetness period - Dpm (18 hours) was observed in Castro. During the second period of the epidemic, Arapoti presented apparent infection rate-r (0.18), higher than observed in Castro (0.12). During same period were observed greater rainfall values and greater index of number of days of rain – Indr compared with Castro. The final disease severity was 99.9% in Arapoti and 96% in Castro 96%. It was observed a relation between Dpm with the appearance of the first symptoms and was also observed and relation between precipitation data and Indc with the progress of the epidemic. The ambient conditions had been more favorable to the disease in Arapoti, where bigger value of AACPDp (38.2) was observed and less favorable for Castro (30.4).<p><p>O trabalho objetivou estudar, em condições de campo, a influência do clima no progresso da ferrugem da soja (Phakopsora pachyrhizi). Dois ensaios foram conduzidos na safra 2005/2006, um na região de Castro e outro em Arapoti, Paraná. Dividiu-se a epidemia em três períodos: semeadura até primeiros sintomas da doença, do início da doença até severidade de 20% e severidade de 20% até severidade máxima. Os sintomas da ferrugem apareceram em Castro aos 78 dias e em Arapoti aos 82 dias após a semeadura. A maior duração do período de molhamento foliar - Dpm (18 horas) foi observada em Castro. No segundo período da epidemia, Arapoti apresentou taxa aparente de infecção-r (0,18), maior do que observado em Castro (0,12). Durante mesmo período foram observados maiores valores de precipitação e maior índice de número de dias de chuva (Indc) quando comparados à Castro. No período final, em Arapoti obteve-se severidade final de 99,9% e em Castro 96%. Observou-se relação entre Dpm com o aparecimento dos primeiros sintomas e também relação entre dados de precipitação e Indc com o progresso da epidemia. As condições ambientais foram mais favoráveis à doença em Arapoti, onde foi observado maior valor da AACPDp (38,2) e menos favoráveis para Castro (30,4)

Desempenho dos modelos CLIGEN, LARS-WG e PGECLIMA_R na simulação de séries diárias de temperatura máxima do ar para localidades do estado do Paraná

Este trabalho teve o objetivo de avaliar o desempenho dos modelos CLIGEN, LARS-WG e PGECLIMA_R na simulação de séries diárias de temperatura máxima do ar para localidades do Estado do Paraná. Foram utilizadas séries históricas de temperatura máxima do ar das localidades de Campo Mourão, Castro, Curitiba, Ivaí, Londrina, Maringá e Paranaguá. Foram geradas cinco séries de temperatura máxima do ar para cada modelo, nas localidades avaliadas, que foram confrontadas com as respectivas séries históricas. O processo de validação foi composto de análises estatísticas através de testes de significância (sobre as médias mensais (teste t), sobre a variância das médias mensais (teste F), sobre a forma das distribuições de frequência (teste K-S)), de gráficos de tendência anual, de tabelas com os índices "r" de Pearson, "d" de Willmott e “c” de Camargo-Sentelhas. Na simulação de temperatura máxima do ar, os modelos PGECLIMA_R e LARS-WG não diferiram em desempenho, obtendo poucas rejeições e bons resultados nos índices “c”, “d” e “r”. No entanto, o CLIGEN obteve resultado abaixo do esperado, superestimando as temperaturas máximas do ar em dias úmidos e, subestimando-as em dias secos, nas localidades avaliadas

Integrating public engagement to intensify pollination services through ecological restoration.

Globally, human activities impose threats to nature and the provision of ecosystem services, such as pollination. In this context, ecological restoration provides opportunities to create managed landscapes that maximize biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture, e.g., via provision of pollination services. Managing pollination services and restoration opportunities requires the engagement of distinct stakeholders embedded in diverse social institutions. Nevertheless, frameworks toward sustainable agriculture often overlook how stakeholders interact and access power in social arenas. We present a perspective integrating pollination services, ecological restoration, and public engagement for biodiversity conservation and agricultural production. We highlight the importance of a comprehensive assessment of pollination services, restoration opportunities identification, and a public engagement strategy anchored in institutional analysis of the social arenas involved in restoration efforts. Our perspective can therefore guide the implementation of practices from local to country scales to enhance biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture

Areas requiring restoration efforts are a complementary opportunity to support the demand for pollination services in Brazil

Crop pollination is one of Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) that reconciles biodiversity conservation and agricultural production. NCP benefits vary across space, including among distinct political-administrative levels within nations. Moreover, initiatives to restore ecosystems may enhance NCP provision, such as crop pollination delivered by native pollinators. We mapped crop pollination demand (PD), diversity of pollinator-dependent crops, and vegetation deficit (VD) (vis-a-vis Brazilian legal requirements) across all 5570 municipalities in Brazil. Pollinator-dependent crops represented ∼55% of the annual monetary value of agricultural production and ∼15% of the annual crop production. Municipalities with greater crop PD (i.e., higher degree of pollinator dependence of crop production) also had greater VD, associated with large properties and monocultures. In contrast, municipalities with a greater diversity of pollinator-dependent crops and predominantly small properties presented a smaller VD. Our results support that ecological restoration prompted by legal requirements offers great potential to promote crop productivity in larger properties. Moreover, conservation of vegetation remnants could support food security in small properties. We provided the first steps to identify spatial patterns linking biodiversity conservation and pollination service. Using Brazilian legal requirements as an example, we show that land-use management policies may be successfully used to ensure agricultural sustainability and crop production.Fil: Bergamo, Pedro J.. Jardim Botânico Do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Wolowski, Marina. Universidade Federal de Alfenas; BrasilFil: Tambosi, Leandro R.. Universidad Federal do Abc; BrasilFil: Garcia, Edenise. The Nature Conservancy Brasil; BrasilFil: Agostini, Kayna. Universidade Federal do São Carlos; BrasilFil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural. - Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural; ArgentinaFil: Knight, Tiffany M.. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research ; Alemania. University Halle-Wittenberg; Alemania. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research; AlemaniaFil: Nic Lughadha, Eimear. Royal Botanic Gardens; Reino UnidoFil: Oliveira, Paulo E. A. M.. Universidade Federal de Uberlandia (univ. Federal de Uberlandia);Fil: Marques, Marcia C. M.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Maruyama, Pietro K.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Maués, Márcia M.. Embrapa; BrasilFil: Oppata, Alberto K.. Cooperativa Agrícola Mista de Tomé-Açu; BrasilFil: Rech, André R.. Federal University of the Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys; BrasilFil: Saraiva, Antônio M.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Silva, Felipe D. S.. Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul; BrasilFil: Sousa, Gizele. Cooperativa Agrícola Mista de Tomé-Açu; BrasilFil: Tsukahara, Rodrigo Y.. Fundaç ão ABC Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Agropecuário; BrasilFil: Varassin, Isabela G.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Felipe Viana, Blandina. Universidade Federal da Bahia; BrasilFil: Freitas, Leandro. Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden; Brasi

Identifying changes in the drivers of ecosystem services: Socioeconomic changes underlie reduced provision of pollination service

The impact of land use changes on ecosystem services (ES) or Nature´s Contributions to People (NCP) is relatively well-known, but the influence of socioeconomic changes on ES remains less clear, especially at larger spatial scales. Multiple socioeconomic factors influence the demand for a service (i.e. higher economic income and human development can increase demand for ES) and the provision of such service (i.e. environmental policies and cultural relationships with nature may enhance access to ES). Such complex relationships require a multidimensional approach to understand the socioeconomic drivers of change of ES. We investigated how socioeconomic drivers affect demand, diversity and provision of crop pollination service. Our Brazil-wide assessment spans a decade (2006-17) and encompasses a period of rapid land use intensification and concentration of land ownership. Our results revealed that the replacement of small and diverse pollinator-dependent farming systems by large pollinator-dependent monocultures has led to deficits in crop pollination services, with demand increasing by 3.3% while diversity and provision have decreased by 16.1 and 22.5%, respectively. These changes are linked to increased wealth concentration and social inequality, as regions that presented concentrated land ownership and limited access to credit were associated with reduced pollination provision. Our study provided a country-wide quantitative assessment of socioeconomic drivers of change in ES to reveal an association between social inequality and reduced ES provision.Fil: Bergamo, Pedro Joaquim. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil. Jardín Botánico de Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Rito, Kátia F.. Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo; México. Jardín Botánico de Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Agostini, Kayna. Universidade Federal do São Carlos; BrasilFil: Deodato da Silva e Silva, Felipe. Instituto Federal de Mato Grosso; BrasilFil: Maués, Márcia M.. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria;Fil: Rech, André R.. Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri; BrasilFil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones En Recursos Naturales, Agroecologia y Desarrollo Rural. - Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones En Recursos Naturales, Agroecologia y Desarrollo Rural.; ArgentinaFil: Nic Lughadha, Eimear. Royal Botanic Gardens; Reino UnidoFil: Saraiva, Antônio M.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Tsukahara, Rodrigo Y.. Fundação ABC Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Agropecuário; BrasilFil: Felipe Viana, Blandina. Universidade Federal da Bahia; BrasilFil: Casas, Grasiela. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Garcia, Edenise. Instituto de Conservação Ambiental; BrasilFil: Marques, Marcia C. M.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Maruyama, Pietro K.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: de Moraes, Alice R.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; Brasil. Jardín Botánico de Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Oliveira, Paulo E.. Universidade Federal de Uberlandia;Fil: Oppata, Alberto K.. Cooperativa Agrícola Mista de Tomé-Açu; BrasilFil: Ravena, Nirvia. Universidade Federal do Pará; BrasilFil: Tambosi, Leandro R.. Universidad Federal do Abc; BrasilFil: Varassin, Isabela G.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Wolowski, Marina. Universidade Federal de Alfenas; BrasilFil: Freitas, Leandro. Jardín Botánico de Río de Janeiro; Brasi

Areas Requiring Restoration Efforts are a Complementary Opportunity to Support the Demand for Pollination Services in Brazil

Crop pollination is one of Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) that reconciles biodiversity conservation and agricultural production. NCP benefits vary across space, including among distinct political-administrative levels within nations. Moreover, initiatives to restore ecosystems may enhance NCP provision, such as crop pollination delivered by native pollinators. We mapped crop pollination demand (PD), diversity of pollinator-dependent crops, and vegetation deficit (VD) (vis-a-vis Brazilian legal requirements) across all 5570 municipalities in Brazil. Pollinator-dependent crops represented ∼55% of the annual monetary value of agricultural production and ∼15% of the annual crop production. Municipalities with greater crop PD (i.e., higher degree of pollinator dependence of crop production) also had greater VD, associated with large properties and monocultures. In contrast, municipalities with a greater diversity of pollinator-dependent crops and predominantly small properties presented a smaller VD. Our results support that ecological restoration prompted by legal requirements offers great potential to promote crop productivity in larger properties. Moreover, conservation of vegetation remnants could support food security in small properties. We provided the first steps to identify spatial patterns linking biodiversity conservation and pollination service. Using Brazilian legal requirements as an example, we show that land-use management policies may be successfully used to ensure agricultural sustainability and crop production