A first-order stabilization-free Virtual Element Method

In this paper, we introduce a new Virtual Element Method (VEM) not requiring any stabilization term based on the usual enhanced first-order VEM space. The new method relies on a modified formulation of the discrete diffusion operator that ensures stability preserving all the properties of the differential operator.(c) 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Systematics of Palicoureeae (Rubiaceae): recent advances in Brazilian groups

Palicoureeae (Rubiaceae) has its centre of diversity in the neotropics and comprises about 1500 species. Two genera with great diversity considering the Brazilian Flora are Palicourea Aubl. and Rudgea Salisb. with ca 170 and 70 species, respectively. These numbers are still underestimated, especially because several species of Psychotria L. subgenus Heteropsychotria Steyerm. need to be transferred to Palicourea, and there are several undescribed species of Rudgea. Some of our recent studies focused on resolving some taxonomic gaps and phylogenetic questions with these genera. Considering Palicourea, phylogenetic analyses are being conducted with sections Codonocalyx, Solenocalyx, and Suteria, which include 15 species of Atlantic Forest. The monophyly of sections is being tested using molecular markers. Considering Rudgea, we are investigating its diversity in the Northeast region of Brazil, trying to answer how many species occur in the region and how climatic changes may affect its distribution. Besides, the domatia of Rudgea are also being investigated, since these structures have an important taxonomic value, but its description is not very clear in the literature. These studies are being conducted with field work, especially in eastern Brazil, exsiccatae analyses, mostly from Brazilian herbaria, and from images of digital herbaria. The phylogenetic analyses used rps16, psbA-trnH, trnL-F, and ITS markers, and were conducted using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. Regarding the phylogenetic inference of Palicourea, the preliminary results showed that Codonocalyx, Solenocalyx, and Suteria do not have molecular support to be sustained as monophyletic taxa. Regarding the diversity of Rudgea, there are at least 22 (~31% of the total) species in Northeast Brazil, with 18 occurring in the state of Bahia. However, there are 12 uncertain taxa still being analysed. Finally, a new proposal to classify the domatia of Rudgea is being carried out, to accommodate variation and intermediate types of domatia. Acknowledgments: CAPES, FAPES, and FAPESP

Efeito de fitase sobre o desempenho zootécnico de frangos de corte consumindo dietas com maior ou menor teor de fitato.

Alimentos alternativos estão sendo estudados com o intuito de buscar matérias-primas em substituição ao milho e farelo de soja, os quais estão escassos e com um alto valor no mercado. Destes, uma opção é o farelo de trigo que pode ser incluído na dieta de aves em pequenas proporções, em virtude do alto teor de fibra e outros fatores antinutricionais. Para minimizar estes fatores pode-se optar pela suplementação de fitase exógena para aumentar a degradação do fitato do farelo de trigo, sendo que esta melhoria permite que o alimento seja usado em níveis mais elevados, fornecendo proporções consideráveis de fósforo e outros minerais, reduzindo os custos com alimentação e a poluição ambiental (POURREZA & CLASSEN, 2001; CLASSEN & BEDFORD, 2001; KERR et al., 2010). Com isso, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do farelo de trigo e fitase sobre os parâmetros de desempenho zootécnico de frangos de corte de um a 32 dias de idade

Draft genome sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis strain BrMgv02-JM63, a chitinolytic bacterium isolated from oil-contaminated mangrove soil in Brazil.

Here, we report the draft genome sequence and the automatic annotation of Bacillus thuringiensis strain BrMgv02-JM63. This genome comprises a set of genes involved in the metabolism of chitin and N-acetylglucosamine utilization, thus suggesting the possible role of this strain in the cycling of organic matter in mangrove soils

Spatial variability of nitrogen dioxide and formaldehydeand residential exposure of children in the industrial area of Viadana, Northern Italy

Chipboard production is a source of ambient air pollution. We assessed the spatial variability of outdoor pollutants and residentialexposure of children living in proximity to the largest chipboard industry in Italy and evaluated the reliability of exposureestimates obtained from a number of available models. We obtained passive sampling data on NO2and formaldehyde collectedby the Environmental Protection Agency of Lombardy region at 25 sites in the municipality of Viadana during 10 weeks (2017-2018) and compared NO2measurements with average weekly concentrations from continuous monitors. We compared interpo-lated NO2and formaldehyde surfaces with previous maps for 2010. We assessed the relationship between residential proximity tothe industry and pollutant exposures assigned using these maps, as well as other available countrywide/continental models basedon routine data on NO2, PM10, andPM2.5. The correlation between NO2concentrations from continuous and passive samplingwas high (Pearson'sr= 0.89), although passive sampling underestimated NO2especially during winter. For both 2010 and 2017-2018, we observed higher NO2and formaldehyde concentrations in the south of Viadana, with hot-spots in proximity to theindustry. PM10and PM2.5exposures were higher for children at 3.5 km to theindustry, whereas NO2exposure was higher at 1-1.7 km to the industry. Road and population densities were also higher close tothe industry. Findings from a variety of exposure models suggest that children living in proximity to the chipboard industry inViadana are more exposed to air pollution and that exposure gradients are relatively stable over time

Risk factors for pre-clinical atherosclerosis in adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Aims: To assess whether, besides "traditional" risk factors, overall oxidative stress, oxidized lipoproteins, and glycemic variability are associated with early macro-vascular damage in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Methods: In 267 children/adolescents with T1D (130 girls, age 9.1-23.0 years) we evaluated: derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites [d-ROMs], serum total antioxidant capacity [TAC] and oxidized LDL-cholesterol [oxLDL]; markers of early vascular damage (Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 [Lp-PLA2], z-score of carotid intima-media thickness [z-cIMT] and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity [z-PWV]); CGM metrics of four weeks preceding the visit, central systolic/diastolic blood pressures (cSBP/cDBP), and HbA1c, z-score of BP (z-SBP/z-DBP) and circulating lipids longitudinally collected since T1D onset.. Three general linear models were built with z-cIMT, z-PWV adjusted for current cDBP, and Lp-PLA2 as independent variables. Results: The z-cIMT was associated with male gender (B = 0.491, η2 = 0.029, p = 0.005), cSBP (B = 0.023, η2 = 0.026, p = 0.008) and oxLDL (B = 0.022, η2 = 0.022, p = 0.014). The z-PWV was associated with diabetes duration (B = 0.054, η2 = 0.024, p = 0.016), daily insulin dose (B = 0.52, η2 = 0.018, p = 0.045), longitudinal z-SBP (B = 0.18, η2 = 0.018, p = 0.045) and dROMs (B = 0.003, η2 = 0.037, p = 0.004). Lp-PLA2 was associated with age (B = 0.221, η2 = 0.079, p = 3*10-6), oxLDL (B = 0.081, η2 = 0.050, p = 2*10-4), longitudinal LDL-cholesterol (B = 0.031, η2 = 0.043, p = 0.001) and male gender (B = -1.62, η2 = 0.10, p = 1.3*107). Conclusions: Oxidative stress, male gender, insulin dose, diabetes duration and longitudinal lipids and blood pressure, contributed to the variance of early vascular damage in young patients with T1D

Characterization of maize roothairless6 which encodes a D-type cellulose synthase and controls the switch from bulge formation to tip growth

Citation: Li, L., Hey, S., Liu, S. Z., Liu, Q., McNinch, C., Hu, H. C., . . . Hochholdinger, F. (2016). Characterization of maize roothairless6 which encodes a D-type cellulose synthase and controls the switch from bulge formation to tip growth. Scientific Reports, 6, 12. doi:10.1038/srep34395Root hairs are tubular extensions of the epidermis. Root hairs of the monogenic recessive maize mutant roothairless 6 (rth6) are arrested after bulge formation during the transition to tip growth and display a rough cell surface. BSR-Seq in combination with Seq-walking and subsequent analyses of four independently generated mutant alleles established that rth6 encodes CSLD5 a plasma membrane localized 129 kD D-type cellulose synthase with eight transmembrane domains. Cellulose synthases are required for the biosynthesis of cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer of plant cell walls. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that RTH6 is part of a monocot specific clade of D-type cellulose synthases. D-type cellulose synthases are highly conserved in the plant kingdom with five gene family members in maize and homologs even among early land plants such as the moss Physcomitrella patens or the clubmoss Selaginella moellendorffii. Expression profiling demonstrated that rth6 transcripts are highly enriched in root hairs as compared to all other root tissues. Moreover, in addition to the strong knock down of rth6 expression in young primary roots of the mutant rth6, the gene is also significantly down-regulated in rth3 and rth5 mutants, while it is up-regulated in rth2 mutants, suggesting that these genes interact in cell wall biosynthesis

Evaluation of the productive and vegetative aspects of the cultivar 'Imperial Gala' apple tree with EM-9 interstem in different lengths.

The obtaining of a compact plant, with less vigor and high productivity, equivalent to a conventional plant, constitutes a strong tendency in the current horticulture, aiming at a raising of the fruit production at the same planted area. One of the techniques that have had success nowadays is the interstem use. This study was developed in a commercial orchard of Randon Agro Silvo Pastoril S.A. (RASIP), located in the Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the vegetative and productive development of apple trees of 'Imperial Gala' with different lengths of EM-9 interstem. The treatments consisted of five interstem lengths: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 cm. In the seventh year of implantation the following parameters were evaluated: the height of the plant, the diameter of the 'Imperial Gala' 5 cm above the second graft point, the volume of the tree-head (height, width and length), the number of bud per branch, and the number of fruits per lineal centimeter of branch. Through this study it could be concluded that the greater interstem (30 cm) presented better indices with relation of vigor control. However, the number of fruits per lineal centimeter of branch with the interstem of 10 cm offered only significant superiority, when compared with the interstem of 30 cm. Using interstem technique allows to gather the benefits of the rootstock 'Marubakaido' and to control excessive vigour with the interstem EM-9.Trabalho apresentado no VIII International Symposium on Temperate Zone Fruits in the Tropics and Subtropics, Florianópolis, 2007

Chemical composition and sensory evaluation of wines produced with different Moscato varieties

Moscato grapes give very aromatic musts and wines, characterized by the presence of monoterpenoids. The Farroupilha region situated in the highlands of South Brazil, is responsible for 50% of Brazilian Moscato wines production, and obtained its Geographical Indication (GI) in 2015. Brazilian Moscato wines are produced with several varieties, mainly Moscato Branco, Moscato Bianco R2 and Moscato Giallo. The objective of this study was to characterize the aromatic profile of wines produced with the three varieties. Microvinifications were conducted with grapes collected in three vineyards located in Farroupilha. Volatile compounds were evaluated using gas chromatography, and sensory characteristics were determined by a panel of enologists using a specific descriptive chard. Moscato Giallo wines exhibited the highest concentrations of ethyl acetate, 2-phenylethanol, isoamyl acetate, linalool, and α-terpineol; Moscato R2 wines showed the highest concentrations of ethyl decanoate and nerol, while Moscato Branco wines, the most representative variety of Brazilian sparkling Moscato wines, exhibited the highest concentrations of ethanal and ethyl hexanoate, and intermediary concentrations of the other compounds. In sensory analysis, the three varieties exhibited pear, pitanga, rosemary, and citric fruits aromas, but in general, Moscato Giallo and Moscato R2 were more intense, while Moscato Branco showed the highest acidity

Oxygen and nitrogen abundances of HII regions in six spiral galaxies

Spectroscopic observations of 63 HII regions in six spiral galaxies (NGC 628, NGC 783, NGC 2336, NGC 6217, NGC 7331, and NGC 7678) were carried out with the 6-meter telescope (BTA) of Russian Special Astrophysical Observatory with the Spectral Camera attached to the focal reducer SCORPIO in the multislit mode with a dispersion of 2.1A/pixel and a spectral resolution of 10A. These observations were used to estimate the oxygen and nitrogen abundances and the electron temperatures in HII regions through the recent variant of the strong line method (NS calibration). The parameters of the radial distribution (the extrapolated central intercept value and the gradient) of the oxygen and nitrogen abundances in the disks of spiral galaxies NGC 628, NGC 783, NGC 2336, NGC 7331, and NGC 7678 have been determined. The abundances in the NGC 783, NGC 2336, NGC 6217, and NGC 7678 are measured for the first time. Galaxies from our sample follow well the general trend in the luminosity - central metallicity diagram for spiral and irregular galaxies.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA