Use data from permanent sampling points in growth and yield modeling

This study was carried to evaluate the efficiency of the Bitterlich method in growth and yield modeling of the even-aged Eucalyptus stands. 25 plots were setup in Eucalyptus grandis cropped under a high bole system in the Central Western Region of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The sampling points were setup in the center of each plot. The data of four annual mesurements were colleted and used to adjust the three model types using the age, the site index and the basal area as independent variables. The growths models were fitted for volume and mass of trees. The efficiency of the Bitterlich method was confirmed for generating the data for growth and yield modeling.

Accuracy and efficiency evaluation of point-centered quarter method variations for vegetation sampling in an araucaria forest

In order to verify Point-Centered Quarter Method (PCQM) accuracy and efficiency, using different numbers of individuals by per sampled area, in 28 quarter points in an Araucaria forest, southern Paraná, Brazil. Three variations of the PCQM were used for comparison associated to the number of sampled individual trees: standard PCQM (SD-PCQM), with four sampled individuals by point (one in each quarter), second measured (VAR1-PCQM), with eight sampled individuals by point (two in each quarter), and third measuring (VAR2-PCQM), with 16 sampled individuals by points (four in each quarter). Thirty-one species of trees were recorded by the SD-PCQM method, 48 by VAR1-PCQM and 60 by VAR2-PCQM. The level of exhaustiveness of the vegetation census and diversity index showed an increasing number of individuals considered by quadrant, indicating that VAR2-PCQM was the most accurate and efficient method when compared with VAR1-PCQM and SD-PCQM.

Soil sampling intensity and spatial distribution pattern of soils attributes and corn yield in no-tillage system

Taking into account that the sampling intensity of soil attributes is a determining factor for applying of concepts of precision agriculture, this study aims to determine the spatial distribution pattern of soil attributes and corn yield at four soil sampling intensities and verify how sampling intensity affects cause-effect relationship between soil attributes and corn yield. A 100-referenced point sample grid was imposed on the experimental site. Thus, each sampling cell encompassed an area of 45 m² and was composed of five 10-m long crop rows, where referenced points were considered the center of the cell. Samples were taken from at 0 to 0.1 m and 0.1 to 0.2 m depths. Soil chemical attributes and clay content were evaluated. Sampling intensities were established by initial 100-point sampling, resulting data sets of 100; 75; 50 and 25 points. The data were submitted to descriptive statistical and geostatistics analyses. The best sampling intensity to know the spatial distribution pattern was dependent on the soil attribute being studied. The attributes P and K+ content showed higher spatial variability; while the clay content, Ca2+, Mg2+ and base saturation values (V) showed lesser spatial variability. The spatial distribution pattern of clay content and V at the 100-point sampling were the ones which best explained the spatial distribution pattern of corn yield.

Rastreamento da síndrome de Down com uso de escore de múltiplos parâmetros ultra-sonográficos

Objetivos: calcular a sensibilidade, especificidade e posteriormente os valores preditivos positivo e negativo dos escores ultra-sonográficos na síndrome de Down. Pacientes e Métodos: a sensibilidade e especificidade dos sinais ultra-sonográficos para a síndrome de Down foram calculadas por meio de escores em um estudo prospectivo realizado em população de alto risco para aneuploidia, entre a 16a e 24a semanas de gestação, que se mostrou desfavorável aos procedimentos invasivos após aconselhamento genético. Os sinais e os valores para a confecção dos escores foram: relação do comprimento do fêmur/pé < 0,9 (1), espessura nucal > 5 mm (2), diâmetro pielocalicial ³ 5 mm (1), ossos próprios do nariz < 6 mm (1), ausência ou hipoplasia da falange média do 5º dedo (1) e alterações estruturais maiores (2). Seguimento completo foi obtido caso a caso. A amniocentese genética foi proposta nos casos de escores 2 ou mais. Resultados: 963 pacientes foram submetidas a exames ultra-sonográficos no período de outubro de 93 a dezembro de 97. A idade gestacional média foi de 19,6 semanas (16 a 24 semanas). A idade materna variou de 35 a 47 anos (média de 38,8) e 18 casos (1,87%) de síndrome de Down foram observados. A sensibilidade foi de 94,5% para escores 1 e 73% para escores 2 (taxa de falso-positivos de 9,8% para escores 1 e de 4,1% para escores 2). A sensibilidade e especificidade individual para cada sinal foram: comprimento fêmur/pé = 16,7% (3/18) e 96,8% (915/945); ossos próprios do nariz = 22,2% (4/18) e 92,1% (870/945); espessamento nucal = 44,4% (8/18) e 96,5% (912/945); diâmetro pielocalicial = 38,9% (7/18) e 94,3% (891/945); ausência da falange média do 5º dedo = 22,2% (4/18) e 98,5% (912/945); malformações = 22,2% (4/18) e 98,2% (928/945). Conclusões: a sensibilidade geral para escore 1 foi bastante alta, porém taxas de falso-positivos também o foram. Para escore 2, a sensibilidade foi ainda boa (73%), com taxa de falso-positivos aceitáveis (4,1%). Os valores preditivos positivo e negativo podem ser calculados conforme a prevalência de cada situação (diferentes idades maternas). Mais casos são necessários para concluir sobre este método de rastreamento (especialmente na população de baixo risco), apesar de este sistema ter se mostrado útil para pacientes de alto risco que não optam pelo diagnóstico invasivo.

Rastreamento Antenatal da Síndrome de Down Utilizando Parâmetros Ultra-sonográficos

Objetivo: avaliar o valor de parâmetros ultra-sonográficos para o diagnóstico da síndrome de Down fetal (T21), com a finalidade de permitir sua aplicação na prática clínica rotineira. Métodos: estudo do tipo coorte transversal prospectivo, utilizando múltiplos parâmetros ultra-sonográficos para predição da T21. Foram avaliados 1662 exames ultra-sonográficos no estudo de coorte e outros 289 exames como amostra diferencial para testar a curva de normalidade, de outubro de 1993 a novembro de 2000. A análise estatística se baseou no cálculo das variabilidades intra e interoperadores, na construção das curvas de normalidade dos parâmetros e provas de validação destas, nos cálculos de sensibilidade, especificidade, risco relativo, razão de probabilidade e dos valores preditivos pós-teste. Resultados: entre os 1662 casos do estudo, ocorreram 22 casos (1,32%) de fetos com T21. As curvas de normalidades foram construídas para os parâmetros espessura nucal, relação fêmur/pé e comprimento dos ossos próprios do nariz, sendo que a pelve renal obedeceu a distribuição semiquantitativa e o nível de corte estabelecido foi de 4,0 mm. Os valores de sensibilidade, especificidade, taxa de falso-positivos, risco relativo e razão de probabilidade para espessura da prega nucal acima do percentil 95 foram respectivamente 54,5%, 95,2%, 4,9%, 20,2 e 11. Para medida dos ossos próprios do nariz abaixo do percentil 5, os valores obtidos foram 59,0%, 90,1%, 9,0%, 13,4 e 6,5. Para a relação fêmur/pé abaixo do percentil 5, 45,5%, 84,4%, 15,6%, 3,7 e 2,6. Para a presença de bacinete >4,0 mm, 36,4%, 89,2%, 10,9%, 4,5 e 3,4. Para a ausência da falange média do quinto dedo, 22,7%, 98,1%, 1,9%, 13,2 e 11,9. Para a presença de anomalias estruturais, 31,8%, 98,7%, 1,3%, 27,2 e 24,8. A partir do cálculo da razão de probabilidade e da incidência de T21 nas diversas idades maternas, construiu-se tabela para risco pós-teste dos parâmetros ultra-sonográficos estudados. Conclusões: foram estabelecidas as curvas de normalidade e os índices para cálculo de risco populacional da síndrome de Down fetal utilizando diferentes idades maternas e os fatores multiplicadores por nós propostos. Não foi possível estabelecer curva de normalidade para o parâmetro medida da pelve renal, pois seus resultados tiveram comportamento semiquantitativo, tendo sido, portanto, analisados por faixa de normalidade.

Comparison of two methods of tear sampling for protein quantification by Bradford method

The aim of this study was to compare two methods of tear sampling for protein quantification. Tear samples were collected from 29 healthy dogs (58 eyes) using Schirmer tear test (STT) strip and microcapillary tubes. The samples were frozen at -80ºC and analyzed by the Bradford method. Results were analyzed by Student's t test. The average protein concentration and standard deviation from tears collected with microcapillary tube were 4.45mg/mL ±0.35 and 4,52mg/mL ±0.29 for right and left eyes respectively. The average protein concentration and standard deviation from tears collected with Schirmer Tear Test (STT) strip were and 54.5mg/mL ±0.63 and 54.15mg/mL ±0.65 to right and left eyes respectively. Statistically significant differences (p<0.001) were found between the methods. In the conditions in which this study was conducted, the average protein concentration obtained with the Bradford test from tear samples obtained by Schirmer Tear Test (STT) strip showed values higher than those obtained with microcapillary tube. It is important that concentration of tear protein pattern values should be analyzed according the method used to collect tear samples.

Improving quality at the preanalytical phase of blood sampling : literature review

Julkaisumaa: 158 TW TWN Taiwan

Effect of period of sugarcane cultivation on the abundance and distribution of weed seeds in the soil profile

An experiment was laid down in a screen house to determine the distribution of weed seeds at different soil depths and periods of cultivation of sugarcane in Ilorin, Nigeria. Soil samples from different depth levels (0-10 cm, 11-20 cm and 21-30 cm) were collected after harvesting of canes from three different land use fields (continuous sugarcane cultivation for > 20 years, continuous sugarcane cultivation for < 10 years after long fallow period and continuous sugarcane cultivation for < 5 years after long fallow period) in November, 2012. One kilogram of the sieved composite soil samples was arranged in the screen house and watered at alternate days. Germinating weed seedlings were identified, counted and then pulled out for the period of 8 months. Land use and soil depth had a highly significant (p £ 0.05) effect on the total number of weeds that emerged from the soil samples. The 010 cm of the soil depth had the highest weed seedlings that emerged. There was an equal weed seed distribution at the 11-20 cm and 21-30 cm depths of the soil. Sugarcane fields which have been continuously cultivated for a long period of time with highly disturbing soil tillage practices tend to have larger seed banks in deeper soil layers (11-20 cm and 21-30 cm) while recently opened fields had significantly larger seed banks at the 0-10 cm soil sampling depth.

Breaking down the boundaries to storing, sharing and publishing research data

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Maternal age and Down syndrome in Southeastern Brazil

The proportion of maternal-age-independent patients estimated among 200 Brazilian Down syndrome children (59.6%) was significantly larger than that of maternal-age-dependent cases (40.4%). The latter proportion is the smallest observed in pertinent literature and due basically to the low mean maternal age of the population analyzed. Based on the remarkable correlation (r = 0.95) between the proportion of maternal-age-dependent patients and the mean maternal age of the general population, a simple predictive equation to estimate the proportion of maternal-age-dependent Down syndrome patients based on the mean maternal age of the general population is suggested in situations where reliable data on the incidence of this syndrome according to maternal age is not available.

Chromosome sensitivity to bleomycin in G2 lymphocytes from Down syndrome patients

Several studies have demonstrated that lymphocytes from patients with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit an increased frequency of chromosome aberrations when they are exposed to ionizing radiation or to chemicals at the G0 or G1 phases of the cell cycle, but not at G2, when compared to normal subjects. To determine the susceptibility of DS lymphocytes at G2 phase, bleomycin, a radiomimetic agent, was used to induce DNA breaks in blood cultures from 24 Down syndrome patients. All the patients with DS showed free trisomy 21 (47,XX + 21 or 47,XY + 21). Individuals that showed an average number of chromatid breaks per cell higher than 0.8 were considered sensitive to the drug. No control child showed susceptibility to bleomycin, and among the 24 patients with DS, only one was sensitive to the drug. No significant difference was observed between the two groups, regarding chromatid break frequencies in treated G2 lymphocytes. The distribution of bleomycin-induced breaks in each group of chromosomes was similar for DS and controls. No significant difference was found in the response to bleomycin between male and female subjects. Probably, the main factor involved in chromosome sensitivity of lymphocytes from patients with DS is the phase of the cell cycle in which the cell is treated.