Influência do uso nas características físico químicas de um latossolo amarelo, textura muito argilosa, Manaus, AM.

O objetivo deste estudo foi: verificar alterações em algumas propriedades físico-químicas do solos provocadas pelo uso; a que profundidade ocorre e verificar o efeito da cobertura do solo com kudzu. As áreas em que foram feitas as amostragens se localizam no Campo Experimental da EMBRAPA-CPAA, Km 29 da AM-010, no município de Manaus, AM

Divergência entre acessos de arroz irrigado brasileiro utilizando o método de Ward.

O objetivo do trabalho foi caracterizar a parecença entre 27 acessos de linhagens e cultivares brasileiras de sistema de cultivo irrigado da coleção nuclear de arroz da Embrapa, reunindo-os em grupos por meio da técnica de agrupamento de Ward aplicada a caracteres agronômicos

Use of plastic-based analytical device, smartphone and chemometric tools to discriminate amines

Amine-based volatile compounds released bymicroorganisms offer an alternative diagnostic approach for the identification of foodborne pathogens. Our objective has been to solvent cast cellulose acetate membranes to immobilise dyes and to use the resultant membranes as a plastic device to discriminate between different types of amines (triethylamine, isobutylamine, isopentylamine). The plastic device consisted of an array of membranes with five pH indicators (namely alizarin, bromophenol blue, chlorophenol red, methyl red and thymol blue). To analyse the data using a portable instrument, we used an iPhone (R) to obtain images and to extract red, green and blue colours (RGB) using in-house software before and after contact with each individual amine. All the RGB values extracted for each analyte allowed us to generate a unique colour pattern, which was used as input for non-supervised pattern recognition methods. Based on this analysis, it was possible to clearly discriminate between the amines studied without any misclassification, demonstrating that the device is well-suited for large-scale applications such as non-destructive methods to discriminate amines and, in future, for smart packaging applications in order to give early warning of rotting food that may lead to food poisoning. Additionally, a semi-quantitative analysis was performed and we have demonstrated that it is possible to quantify concentrations of amines down to 1 ppm

Microarray gene expression profiling of neural tissues in bovine spastic paresis

Abstract: Background: Bovine Spastic Paresis (BSP) is a neuromuscular disorder which affects both male and female cattle. BSP is characterized by spastic contraction and overextension of the gastrocnemious muscle of one or both limbs and is associated with a scarce increase in body weight. This disease seems to be caused by an autosomal and recessive gene, with incomplete penetration, although no genes clearly involved with its onset have been so far identified. We employed cDNA microarrays to identify metabolic pathways affected by BSP in Romagnola cattle breed. Investigation of those pathways at the genome level can help to understand this disease. Results: Microarray analysis of control and affected individuals resulted in 268 differentially expressed genes. These genes were subjected to KEGG pathway functional clustering analysis, revealing that they are predominantly involved in Cell Communication, Signalling Molecules and Interaction and Signal Transduction, Diseases and Nervous System classes. Significantly enriched KEGG pathway's classes for the differentially expressed genes were calculated; interestingly, all those significantly under-expressed in the affected samples are included in Neurodegenerative Diseases. To identify genome locations possibly harbouring gene(s) involved in the disease, the chromosome distribution of the differentially expressed genes was also investigated. Conclusions: The cDNA microarray we used in this study contains a brain library and, even if carrying an incomplete transcriptome representation, it has proven to be a valuable tool allowing us to add useful and new information to a poorly studied disease. By using this tool, we examined nearly 15000 transcripts and analysed gene pathways affected by the disease. Particularly, our data suggest also a defective glycinergic synaptic transmission in the development of the disease and an alteration of calcium signalling proteins. We provide data to acquire knowledge of a genetic disease for which literature still presents poor results and that could be further and specifically analysed in the next future. Moreover this study, performed in livestock, may also harbour molecular information useful for understanding human diseases

Optimization of microesclerotia production by Trichoderma asperellum.

The Trichoderma genus, despite its widespread use for decades as a biological control in agriculture, has only recently been gaining a share in the biopesticide market, thanks to its versatility in controlling diseases and acting as a plant growth enhancer. Most Trichoderma's commercial products have aerial conidia as active ingredient, but recent studies report the production of another propagule, more robust for formulation and application under field conditions - the microsclerotia (MS). Thus, our objective was to evaluate the nutritional conditions that favor the greater production of MS, using two cultures of T. asperellum with known antagonistic activity. For this, we used the fractional factorial design approach in which we evaluated 5 variables: Carbon source, Carbon concentration, C:N ratio, Strain, Nitrogen source, all influencing the production of MS. The results indicated that all variables were statistically significant to MS production. In the best condition tested, we obtained values higher than 104 MS mL-1. In conclusion that the conditions found for the production of MS, using sucrose and lyscell, with carbon concentration 20 g L-1 and C:N ratio (10:1) and isolate TR 356, are inexpensive carbon and nitrogen sources may allow us to scale-up this biofungicide

Análise univariada de modelos lineares mistos para população de mapeamento de QTL em arroz.

O experimento para avaliação da progênie segregante de 224 famílias (F2:4) foi conduzido no delineamento de blocos aumentados de Federer com três repetições e quatro testemunhas para dois ambientes (déficit hídrico e condições normais de irrigação). O ensaio foi analisado por meio de análise univariada de modelos lineares mistos através do software R

Parecença entre linhagens e cultivares introduzidas de arroz irrigado utilizando o método de Ward.

O objetivo do trabalho foi caracterizar a parecença entre 72 acessos de linhagens e cultivares introduzidas (LCI) de sistema de cultivo irrigado da CNAE, por meio da técnica de Ward de agrupamento. Os dados foram obtidos a partir de onze experimentos para caracterização agronômica da CNAE

Gender Differences in the Association between Physical Inactivity and Mental-Health Conditions in People with Vision or Hearing Impairment; 35328994

This study aimed to examine associations between physical inactivity and mental health in Spanish adults with vision or hearing difficulties and explored differences between men and women. Data from the Spanish National Health Survey in 2017 were analyzed (n = 23, 089 adults, 15–103 years, mean age 53.4 ± 18.9 years, 45.9% men). Physical inactivity (exposure) was evaluated with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form. Participants self-reported whether they had previously suffered from depression, chronic anxiety and other mental-health complications (outcomes). Associations between physical inactivity and mental-health complications were assessed with multivariable logistic regression in people with difficulty seeing and hearing, after grouping by gender and adjusting for age, body-mass index, education level, living as a couple, smoking and alcohol consumption. The overall multivariable logistic-regression analyses showed that women with vision impairment showed significant associations between physical inactivity and depression (OR 1.403, 95% CI 1.015–1.940) and other mental-health complications (OR 2.959, 95% CI 1.434–6.104). In the overall analyses, there were no significant associations in men and in people with hearing impairment. The age-stratified analyses showed that inactive people with visual impairment who were <65 years old had a higher risk of mental-health conditions. In conclusion, physical activity has been shown to be important in the prevention of mental-health complications. Healthcare practitioners and policy makers should look at appropriate strategies to increase levels of physical activity in people with vision loss, especially in women and in those <65 years old. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Using global analysis, partial specifications, and an extensible assertion language for program validation and debugging

We discuss a framework for the application of abstract interpretation as an aid during program development, rather than in the more traditional application of program optimization. Program validation and detection of errors is first performed statically by comparing (partial) specifications written in terms of assertions against information obtained from (global) static analysis of the program. The results of this process are expressed in the user assertion language. Assertions (or parts of assertions) which cannot be checked statically are translated into run-time tests. The framework allows the use of assertions to be optional. It also allows using very general properties in assertions, beyond the predefined set understandable by the static analyzer and including properties defined by user programs. We also report briefly on an implementation of the framework. The resulting tool generates and checks assertions for Prolog, CLP(R), and CHIP/CLP(fd) programs, and integrates compile-time and run-time checking in a uniform way. The tool allows using properties such as types, modes, non-failure, determinacy, and computational cost, and can treat modules separately, performing incremental analysis