Danos do percevejo barriga-verde em milho

The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential damage of the green-belly stink bug, Dichelops melacanthus, to corn in greenhouse and field conditions. Three trials were carried out. In the greenhouse, corn plants in the V1 stage were evaluated after each of them was infested with one insect in four developmental stages (nymphs of the third, fourth, and fifth instars and adults) during 14 days. In the field, corn plants in four developmental stages (V1, V3, V5, and V7) were infested inside cages with five adult stink bugs, also during 14 days. In another trial in the greenhouse, the same treatments of the field trial were conducted during 14 days, but with an infestation intensity of one bug per plant per pot. The control treatment was without infestation. In all trials, damage scores were attributed to the corn plants and the dry matter of the aerial part of the plants was determined. In the field, stem diameter and grain yield were also evaluated. Third-instar nymphs do not cause significant changes in the dry weight of the aerial part of the plant and in the damage scores, compared with the control treatment. Infestations by adult stink bugs cause more damage to corn plants in the V1 and V3 stages, both in field and greenhouse conditions.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o potencial de dano do percevejo barriga-verde, Dichelops melacanthus, em plantas de milho, em condições de casa de vegetação e campo. Foram realizados três ensaios. Na casa de vegetação, plantas de milho no estádio V1 foram avaliadas após cada uma ser infestada com um inseto em quatro estádios de desenvolvimento (ninfas de terceiro, quarto e quinto instar e adultos), durante 14 dias. No campo, plantas de milho em quatro estádios de desenvolvimento (V1, V3, V5 e V7) foram infestadas em gaiolas com cinco adultos do percevejo, também durante 14 dias. Em outro ensaio na casa de vegetação, os mesmos tratamentos do ensaio em campo foram conduzidos durante 14 dias, mas com intensidade de infestação de um percevejo por planta por vaso. O tratamento testemunha foi sem infestação. Em todos os ensaios, foram atribuídas notas de danos às plantas de milho e determinada a massa seca da parte aérea das plantas. No campo, também foram avaliados diâmetro do colmo e rendimento de grãos. As ninfas de terceiro instar não alteram significativamente o peso seco da parte aérea das plantas e as notas de danos, em comparação ao tratamento testemunha. Infestações de adultos do percevejo causam mais danos em plantas de milho nos estádios V1 e V3, tanto em condições de campo quanto de casa de vegetação

Correlation between mass and volume of collected blood with positivity of blood cultures

Background The collection of blood cultures is an extremely important method in the management of patients with suspected infection. Microbiology laboratories should monitor blood culture collection. Methods Over an 8-month period we developed a prospective, observational study in an adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We correlated the mass contained in the blood vials with blood culture positivity and we also verified the relationship between the mass of blood and blood volume collected for the diagnosis of bloodstream infection (BSI), as well as we explored factors predicting positive blood cultures. Results We evaluated 345 patients with sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock for whom blood culture bottles were collected for the diagnosis of BSI. Of the 55 patients with BSI, 40.0 % had peripheral blood culture collection only. BSIs were classified as nosocomial in 34.5 %. In the multivariate model, the blood culture mass (in grams) remained a significant predictor of positivity, with an odds ratio 1.01 (i.e., for each additional 1 mL of blood collected there was a 1 % increase in positivity; 95 % CI 1.01–1.02, p = 0.001; Nagelkerke R Square [R2] = 0.192). For blood volume collected, the adjusted odds ratio was estimated at 1.02 (95 % CI: 1.01–1.03, p \u3c 0.001; R2 = 0.199). For each set of collected blood cultures beyond one set, the adjusted odds ratio was estimated to be 1.27 (95 % CI: 1.14–1.41, p \u3c 0.001; R2 = 0.221). Conclusions Our study was a quality improvement project that showed that microbiology laboratories can use the weight of blood culture bottles to determine if appropriate volume has been collected to improve the diagnosis of BSI

Structural Requirements of N-Substituted Spiropiperidine Analogues as Agonists of Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ Receptor

The nociceptin/orphanin FQ (NOP) receptor is involved in a wide range of biological functions, including pain, anxiety, depression and drug abuse. Especially, its agonists have great potential to be developed into anxiolytics. In this work, both the ligand- and receptor-based three-dimensional quantitative structure–activity relationship (3D-QSAR) studies were carried out using comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) techniques on 103 N-substituted spiropiperidine analogues as NOP agonists. The resultant optimal ligand-based CoMSIA model exhibited Q2 of 0.501, R2ncv of 0.912 and its predictive ability was validated by using an independent test set of 26 compounds which gave R2pred value of 0.818. In addition, docking analysis and molecular dynamics simulation (MD) were also applied to elucidate the probable binding modes of these agonists. Interpretation of the 3D contour maps, in the context of the topology of the active site of NOP, provided insight into the NOP-agonist interactions. The information obtained from this work can be used to accurately predict the binding affinity of related agonists and also facilitate the future rational design of novel agonists with improved activity

Study on Modern Agriculture Equipment and Technology Coordinating Innovation

As the material foundation of agriculture modernization, the modernization level of agricultural equipment and technology is the significant signal of agricultural modernization, and the advancement of agricultural modernization is the important content of building a well-off society in an all-around way. Upgrading key technology research ability and promoting agricultural mechanization and industry development not only can shorten the gap between agricultural development level in China and that in developed countries, but also can advance the modernization process of China

Analysis of obese patients' medical conditions in the pre and postoperative periods of bariatric surgery

ABSTRACT Objective: to compare the clinical conditions of obese patients in the pre and postoperative period of bariatric surgery. Methods: we carried out a descriptive, retrospective, quantitative study by consulting the charts of 134 patients who underwent bariatric surgery in the period from 2009 to 2014. We collected the data between September and November 2015. We performed a descriptive statistical analysis and comparative analysis of anthropometric, metabolic, biochemical and clinical variables, considering six months before and after surgery. Results: the majority of the patients were female (91.8%), with a higher prevalence (35%) in the age group 18-29 years old, complete high-school education (65.6%) and grade III obesity (60.4%). Six months after surgery, weight and lipid profile reduction were significant in both genders, but the impact on biochemical, anthropometric, metabolic and clinical parameters was significant only in female subjects, with a reduction in morbidities associated with obesity, such as arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome and in the use of drugs to control them. Conclusion: bariatric surgery was effective in weight loss, with improvements in anthropometric, metabolic and biochemical parameters and in the reduction of morbidities associated with obesity

Global legislation regulating the donation, procurement and distribution processes of organs and tissues from deceased donors for transplants: A scoping review

Introduction: Organ transplantation is one of the most successful advances in modern medicine. However, a legal system is necessary for its practice to be free from ethical flaws and to respect donors, recipients, and family members. Objective: To map the global legislation regulating the donation, capture and distribution processes of organs and tissues from deceased donors for transplants. Method: A scoping review according to the Joanna Briggs Institute was conducted in the following databases: Medline, CINAHL, Virtual Health Library, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Science Direct, and EMBASE, as well as gray literature, and reported according to the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. Results: We identified 3302 records, of which 77 were analyzed which enabled mapping the type of consent adopted and the existence of current legislation for harvesting organs and tissues after circulatory and brain death. Conclusion: Opt-out consent predominates in Europe, and there is harvesting after brain and circulatory death. Opt-out predominates in the Americas, while Opt-in and harvesting of organs and tissues after brain death predominate in Asia and Oceania. The procurement of organs and tissues from deceased donors is practically non-existent in Africa

Tetragonal–Orthorhombic–Cubic Phase Transitions in Ag₂Se Nanocrystals

First-order solid–solid phase transition of crystalline solids at the nanoscale has attracted an increasing interest in solid-state physics and chemistry, which can be used to alter the properties of materials without changing chemical compositions. Herein, we report the results of our comparative studies on phase transitions between tetragonal (<i>t</i>), orthorhombic (β), and cubic (α) polymorphs in Ag₂Se nanocrystals. A significant discrepancy in stability and phase transition behavior is determined for <i>t</i>-Ag₂Se nanocrystals, which were prepared separately by two different methods. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and variable-temperature XRD studies reveal that the <i>t</i>-Ag₂Se nanocrystals prepared by the oleylamine (OLA)-mediated method show a highly temperature- and time-sensitive metastability and undergo a <i>t</i> → β → α → β phase transition during the thermal cycling, in which the <i>t</i> → β transition is exothermic and irreversible, whereas the β → α transition is reversible. Similarly, the reversible β → α structure transition is detected in the β-Ag₂Se nanocrystals, which were also prepared using the OLA-mediated method with different post-treatment manners and stabilized conditions. In contrast, the <i>t</i>-Ag₂Se nanocrystals prepared by the PVP-assisted solvothermal method are more stable and exhibit a direct, reversible <i>t</i> → α phase transition without undergoing the β phase; however, when heated to a high temperature, for example, ≥250 °C, the stability of the <i>t</i> phase and the reversibility of the <i>t</i> → α transition will be destroyed due to the sintering and size increase of the sample, which is confirmed by the determination of the <i>t</i> → α → β phase transition in the DSC cycle. The formation of the <i>t</i> phase is attributed to the α → <i>t</i> structure transformation with the temperature cooled from synthetic temperatures (160–220 °C) to room temperature. Moreover, the reasons for the difference in the stabilities and phase transitions of <i>t</i>-Ag₂Se nanocrystals prepared in our two methods are discussed based on the influences of size, surface (or shape), and defects on the thermodynamics and kinetics of a solid–solid structure transformation