Migration and Ethnobotanical Practices: The Case of Tifey Among Haitian Immigrants in Cuba

Ethnobotanical knowledge and practices are dynamic and they change as they are transferred and appropriated by people who are adapting to new surroundings and changing environments. Using tifey, a multispecies drink, as a case study, we discuss the changes that emigration brought about related to tifey, and the processes that determined these changes. Tifey is a Haitian drink prepared by soaking Artemisia absinthium and other plants in rum or aguardiente. It probably had its origin in the adoption of the absinthe-based liquor used by French settlers and troops during the colonial period. Haitians progressively added culturally relevant flavorings and medicinal plants to this drink, and differentiated its production and use for medicinal, medicinal food, ritual ( religious and social), and economic purposes. When Haitians migrated to Cuba, they brought tifey with them, but over the course of the twentieth century its use declined and its composition changed due to sociocultural factors such as the dissolution of Haitian settlements, and to ecological factors such as difficulty in cultivation and/or procurement of A. absinthium in the new environment

Synthesis of a group of novel Xanomeline/77-LH-28-1 hybrid ligands and their FRET investigation at muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes

In connection with our interest in investigating novel rationally designed bitopic (i.e., orthosteric/allosteric) derivatives targeting muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) subtypes (1,2,3), in this study we designed and synthesized a new set of ligands that integrate in the same molecular skeleton the pharmacophoric moieties of Xanomeline and of 77-LH-28-1 (1-[3-(4-butyl-1-piperidinyl)propyl]-3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinolinone). Xanomeline is a well-known M1/M4-preferring orthosteric agonist, which ameliorated cognitive impairments in Alzheimer\u2019s disease patients and showed activity in various models of schizophrenia, thus being potentially beneficial for treatment of positive, negative and cognitive symptoms (4). On the other hand, 77-LH-28-1 was characterized as an M1-selective, positive allosteric modulator, thus representing an interesting pharmacological tool with cognition enhancing properties (5). As illustrated below, we planned the novel bipharmacophoric derivatives as merged structures, with the tetrahydropyridine nucleus of Xanomeline as the central core. In the last years, different receptor sensors, based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), were generated for various G protein-coupled receptors, and represented a valuable tool to investigate real time receptor activation as well as ligand-receptor interactions. Recently, this analysis was performed also on a set of bitopic ligands designed for a selective interaction with M1 mAChRs (6). Our preliminary results on the group of Xanomeline/77-LH-28-1 hybrid compounds indicate, for the M1 sensor, a reproducible activation response, which depends on the linker length. Conversely, no FRET-related effect could be detected at the M2 sensor. Thus, a critical spacer length of the hybrid compounds induces conformational changes with a degree of selectively for the M1 muscarinic receptor. The synthesis and the results of pharmacological investigation will be presented and discussed. References: 1. J. Antony, K. Kellershohn, M. Mohr-Andr\ue4, A. Kebig, S. Prilla, M. Muth, E. Heller, T. Disingrini, C. Dallanoce et al., FASEB J 2009, 23, 442-450. 2. A. Bock, B. Chirinda, F. Krebs, R. Messerer, J. B\ue4tz, M. Muth, C. Dallanoce et al., Nat. Chem. Biol. 2014, 10, 18-20. 3. A. Bock, M. Bermudez, F. Krebs, C. Matera, B. Chirinda, D. Sydow, C. Dallanoce et al., J. Biol. Chem. 2016, 291, 16375-16389. 4. S. Barak, I. Weiner, Int. J. Neuropsychoph. 2011, 14, 1233-1246. 5. C. J. Langmead, N. E. Austin, C. L. Branch, J. T. Brown, K. A. Buchanan, C. H. Davies, I. T. Forbes et al., Br. J. Pharmacol. 2008, 154, 1104-1115. 6. R. Messerer, M. Kauk, D. Volpato, M. C. Alonso Canizal, J. Kl\uf6ckner, U. Zabel, S. Nuber, C. Hoffmann, U. Holzgrabe, ACS Chem. Biol. 2017, 12, 833-843

Application of Zirconia in Dentistry: Biological, Mechanical and Optical Considerations

Aiming to replace the infrastructure of metallic dental prostheses, structural ceramics have been improved and increasingly used in dentistry. Among the dental ceramics, the zirconia has emerged as a versatile and promising material because of its biological, mechanical and optical properties, which has certainly accelerated the routine use of CAD/CAM technology in different types of prosthetic treatment.Routinely, zirconia based ceramics are used in structural applications in engineering as the manufacture of cutting tools, gas sensors, refractories and structural opacifiers. To meet structural demands, zirconia has to be doped with stabilizers to achieve high strength and fracture toughness. The bioceramics nowadays, used in medical and dental care, derived from structural materials used in aerospace and military armor, which were modified to suit the additional requirements of biocompatibility

Banco de dados geográfico sobre a cafeicultura mineira: organização lógica e inserção de dados.

Os sistemas de informações geográficas (SIG) foram desenvolvidos com o objetivo de facilitar o tratamento de um volume cada vez maior e mais preciso de informações sobre a superfície terrestre e suas questões ambientais. Na utilização para a cafeicultura o SIG integra softwares para tratamento e armazenamento de dados segundo um modelo conceitual predefinido. A partir da definição deste modelo iniciou-se o armazenamento dos dados, em um Sistema de Gerenciamento de Banco de Dados (SGBD). A ferramenta escolhida para o gerenciamento dos dados foi o PostgreSQL pois este é um SGBD objeto-relacional e de código aberto, mantido em constantes atualizações gratuitas pela Comunidade Brasileira do PostgreSQL 1. Devido ao grande número de atualizações, o PostgreSQL é extensível, sendo utilizado para dar suporte à diversos tipos de aplicações desde dados simples à aplicações mais complexas, bem como seus metadados. Para a integração e o armazenamento dos dados foi utilizado o sistema de informação geográfico SPRING 2. O SPRING é um software gratuito para criação e gerenciamento de banco de dados geográficos, possuí funções para processamento de imagens, análises espaciais, modelagem numérica de terreno e consulta a banco de dados espaciais. No acesso aos dados geográficos foi utilizado um tipo de arquitetura conhecida como ?Arquitetura Dual?. A principal vantagem desta arquitetura consiste na separação das funcionalidades na qual o gerenciamento dos metadados é feita pelo SGBD, pois os mecanismos de transação, recuperação a falhas, concorrência, integridade dos dados e indexação podem ser usados para a parte não espacial dos dados, enquanto que a responsabilidade do gerenciamento dos dados geográficos é realizada pelo SPRING. Portanto, o objetivo principal deste trabalho foi inserir e organizar dados geográfico sobre pesquisas realizadas pela EPAMIG relacionadas á cafeicultura mineira

Mathieu twining characters for K3

The analogue of the McKay-Thompson series for the proposed Mathieu group action on the elliptic genus of K3 is analysed. The corresponding NS-sector twining characters have good modular properties and satisfy remarkable replication identities. These observations provide strong support for the conjecture that the elliptic genus of K3 carries indeed an action of the Mathieu group M24.Comment: 19 page

Processo de desenvolvimento de um site utilizando Web Mapping para o laboratório de geoprocessamento geosolos.

Em virtude dos avanços técnico-científicos, observa-se nos dias atuais o aumento expressivo na disponibilização de dados na Internet, de modo a facilitar o acesso aos mais diversos tipos de dados, tendo em vista as inovações proporcionadas com as novas e modernas ferramentas tecnológicas, que têm beneficiado o incremento e o uso de novos instrumentos (MOREIRA, 2010). Além dos avanços expressivos no campo informacional e tecnológico, como destaca Medeiros et al. (2010), podemos referenciar o geoprocessamento e os Sistemas de Informações Geográficas ? SIG?s que, aliados à Internet, tornaram-se tecnologias ainda mais robustas para divulgar os mais diversos tipos de informações. O uso da web como um meio de divulgação para os mapas pode ser considerado como um grande avanço na cartografia e abre muitas novas oportunidades, tais como mapas em tempo real, com divulgação mais barata e atualizações mais freqüentes, contendo mapas personalizados e interativos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi justamente a criação de um ambiente web, que propiciasse a divulgação dos mapas e trabalhos de pesquisa realizados pela equipe do laboratório de geoprocessamento da EPAMIG - GeoSolos, que utiliza geotecnologias para, entre outras coisas, mapear e caracterizar o café em grandes regiões produtoras de Minas Gerais. O público-alvo deste portal são todos os integrantes da cadeia produtiva do café, pesquisadores da área e pessoas interessadas nestas geotecnologias e na aplicação destas para o mapeamento do café

Effective Study: Development and Application of a Question-Driven, Time-Effective Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Scanning Protocol

BACKGROUND: Long scanning times impede cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) clinical uptake. A “one‐size‐fits‐all” shortened, focused protocol (eg, only function and late‐gadolinium enhancement) reduces scanning time and costs, but provides less information. We developed 2 question‐driven CMR and stress‐CMR protocols, including tailored advanced tissue characterization, and tested their effectiveness in reducing scanning time while retaining the diagnostic performances of standard protocols. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eighty three consecutive patients with cardiomyopathy or ischemic heart disease underwent the tailored CMR. Each scan consisted of standard cines, late‐gadolinium enhancement imaging, native T1‐mapping, and extracellular volume. Fat/edema modules, right ventricle cine, and in‐line quantitative perfusion mapping were performed as clinically required. Workflow was optimized to avoid gaps. Time target was 30% (CMR: from 42±8 to 28±6 minutes; stress‐CMR: from 50±10 to 34±6 minutes, both P45% of cases. Quality grading was similar between the 2 protocols. Tailored protocols did not require additional staff. CONCLUSIONS: Tailored CMR and stress‐CMR protocols including advanced tissue characterization are accurate and time‐effective for cardiomyopathies and ischemic heart diseas

Allelopathy And Weed Competition

Currently, only two herbicides, Londax® (bensulfuron) and Taipan® (benzofenap) are available for the effective control of all four major broadleaf weeds infesting NSW rice paddocks. Prolonged and widespread use of these two herbicides in the rice growing regions increases the threat of herbicide resistance. The low likelihood of new herbicides in the foreseeable future increases the impact of herbicide resistance on the Australian rice industry. Allelopathy, chemical interactions between plants, is an alternative control option. Weeds could be controlled by using crops which have been developed to exert their own weed control by releasing chemicals into the soil. These naturally occurring compounds could play a valuable role in an integrated weed management system, potentially reducing the amount of synthetic herbicides required for weed control. In rice, the potential use of allelopathy in weed control has been explored by several researchers worldwide. Funding for work on allelopathic potential was provided by the Rice CRC as they recognised that the Australian weed community is very different and many of the weeds infesting rice paddocks are typically Australian problems not likely to be tackled by international research groups. Twenty-seven rice cultivars were examined in the laboratory for their allelopathic potential against several currently important and potentially important rice weeds in Australia, namely barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli), dirty dora (Cyperus difformis), lance-leaved water plantain (Alisma lanceolatum), starfruit (Damasonium minus), arrowhead (Sagittaria montevidensis) and S. graminea. Weed root growth inhibition ranged from 0.3 % to 93.6 % of the control depending on the cultivar and the weed species being tested. One weed was actually stimulated by Langi. Several rice varieties significantly inhibited root growth of more than one weed. A field trial using starfruit as the test species was conducted to see if those cultivars which inhibited starfruit in the laboratory experiment also inhibited starfruit in the field and to determine whether allelopathy was an important factor in the resulting field performance. Twenty-four cultivars were used in a field trial based at the Yanco Agricultural Institute. Starfruit dry matter was measured as an indicator of weed inhibition. It was found that there was a correlation between laboratory and field results, and that allelopathy was an important contributor to field performance of a rice variety

In vitro effect of seven essential oils on the reproduction of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus

AbstractThe acaricidal effect of seven essential oils was examined in vitro against the cattle tick (Rhipicephalus microplus). Engorged female ticks were manually collected in farms of Southern Brazil and placed into petri dishes (n=10) in order to test the following oils: juniper (Juniperus communis), palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii), cedar (Cedrus atlantica), lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), ginger (Zingiber officinale), geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) and bergamot (Citrus aurantium var bergamia) at concentrations of 1%, 5%, and 10% each. A control group was used to validate the tests containing Triton X-100 only. Treatment effectiveness was measured considering inhibition of tick oviposition (partial or total), egg’s weight, and hatchability. C. martinii, C. citratus and C. atlantica essential oils showed efficacy higher than 99% at all concentrations tested. In addition, J. communis, Z. officinale, P. graveolens, and C. aurantium var bergamia oils showed efficiency ranging from 73% to 95%, depending on the concentration tested, where higher concentrations showed greater efficacy. It was concluded that essential oils can affect tick reproduction in vitro by inhibiting oviposition and hatchability