Efeitos do nim sobre tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) e os predadores Phytoseiulus macropilis (Banks) e Neoseiulus californicus (Mcgregor) (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência de controle e os efeitos adversos de dois produtos à base de nim Azamax® (Azadiractina A/B 12g/L) e Neemseto® (Azadiractina A/B, Nimbina e Salanina 2,389 g/L) sobre o ácaro-rajado Tetranychus urticae e os predadores Phytoseiulus macropilis e Neoseiulus californicus em laboratório. Para o ácaro-rajado, foram consideradas as variáveis mortalidade, fecundidade, efeito ovicida e persistência biológica, enquanto para os fitoseídeos consideraram-se mortalidade e fecundidade. A mortalidade máxima observada para o ácaro-rajado foi de 89,7% e 91,5% para Azamax® e Neemseto®, respectivamente, na concentração de 0,5% após a reaplicação do produto no sétimo dia. Também foram observados efeitos adversos sobre a fecundidade e a viabilidade dos ovos quando tratados com os produtos comerciais (p.c.). A persistência biológica dos produtos foi de aproximadamente três dias após a pulverização. As formulações apresentaram seletividade em relação aos fitoseídeos, porém causaram redução da fecundidade dos mesmos.

Compressive neuropathy of the first branch of the lateral plantar nerve: a study by magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract Objective: To assess the prevalence of isolated findings of abnormalities leading to entrapment of the lateral plantar nerve and respective branches in patients complaining of chronic heel pain, whose magnetic resonance imaging exams have showed complete selective fatty atrophy of the abductor digiti quinti muscle. Materials and Methods: Retrospective, analytical, and cross-sectional study. The authors selected magnetic resonance imaging of hindfoot of 90 patients with grade IV abductor digiti quinti muscle atrophy according to Goutallier and Bernageau classification. Patients presenting with minor degrees of fatty muscle degeneration (below grade IV) and those who had been operated on for nerve decompression were excluded. Results: A female prevalence (78.8%) was observed, and a strong correlation was found between fatty muscle atrophy and plantar fasciitis in 21.2%, and ankle varices, in 16.8% of the patients. Conclusion: Fatty atrophy of the abductor digiti quinti muscle is strongly associated with neuropathic alterations of the first branch of the lateral plantar nerve. The present study showed a significant association between plantar fasciitis and ankle varices with grade IV atrophy of the abductor digiti quinti muscle.

Evolution of Ryegrass Seed Banks Depending on Soil Tillage and Crops

The seed bank is characterized by the amount of seeds and other viable reproductive structures in the soil and it is changed by the input and output of seeds, being classified by its permanence in the soil as transient or permanent. The tillage and crops used decisively influence this dynamic and more disturbed areas tend to have richer seed banks. The purpose of this study was to test different soil tillage and crop systems, aiming to reduce or eliminate the ryegrass in the area. The experiment was conducted from 2010 to 2012. In the first year, the effect of chemical tillage was assessed, compared to the area without tillage. From the second year on, in the area that received chemical tillage, the second experiment was installed, where it was assessed the effect of soil tillage and crop rotation in the ryegrass seed yield. The soil tillage treatment was chisel plow and non-chisel plow. The crop rotation was: fallow/soybean; wheat/soybean; black oat/maize. The samples of soil were taken three times a year and split in 0-5, 5-10, 10-15 and 15-20 cm. After sampling, the seeds were separated from the soil and sterilized. Afterwards, germination and tetrazolium test were conducted. In the same plots used for soil sampling, the emergence flow of ryegrass was assessed in the winter 2011 and 2012. In the first year it was observed that chemical tillage had considerably reduced the amount of ryegrass in the soil. The crop rotations used were more effective than soil tillage in reducing the seed banks in the soil. The rotation oat/maize and wheat/soybean, in only two years, practically zeroed the ryegrass seed banks in the area.

Phytosociology of the remaining xerophytic woodland associated to an environmental gradient at the banks of the São Francisco river - Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil

Floristic and phytosociological surveys were carried out for 12 months in the Embrapa-SPSB, Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil. A transect was laid on starting at the river bank extending for 790 m away from the river and divided into 140 10 × 10 m contiguous plots. In each plot, all standing plants, alive or dead, with stem diameter at soil level > 3 cm and total height > 1 m were sampled. Along this transect, an elevation range of 9.40 m was registered and five topographical environments were identified: riverside (MR), dike (D), floodable depression (DI), boundary terrace (TL) - all of them belonging to the fluvial terrace with Fluvic Neosol and Haplic Cambisol both silty textured eutrophic soils - and the inlander tableland (TS), with medium sandy-textured Red-Yellow Argisols. Fourty-eight species/morphospecies, distributed into 39 genera and 21 families, were identified. Four phytogeoenvironments (MR, D + TL, DI + TL, and TS) were registered based on environmental variations and floristic similarities among plots using cluster analyses. The MR environment showed the largest total density, total basal area, maximum and medium heights and maximum diameter. Moreover, it had 8.1% of plants with heights above 8 m against 0.6% for D + TL, 0.2% for DI + TL, and 0% for TS. The species with the largest importance value were Inga vera subsp. affinis (DC.) T.D. Pennington in MR, Mimosa bimucronata Kunth in D + TL and DI + TL and M. tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir. in TS.

Still the century of government savings banks? The Caixa Econômica Federal

This article explores general concerns about government banking, social inclusion, and democracy through case study of the Brazilian federal government savings bank (Caixa Econômica Federal). Review of government savings banks in Brazilian history suggests that these institutions have been at the center of domestic political economy, expanding and contracting under a variety of political regimes and economic conditions. Since capitalization to meet central bank and Basel Accord guidelines in 2001, the Caixa has attempted to modernize, continue to serve as agent for government policies, and expand both popular credit and savings and investment banking activities.