Cotton development and yield according to nitrogen application and cover crops

Nitrogen application on the cover and the maintenance of straw, conducted by direct seeding, should meet the needs of agriculture and promote soil conservation. This study evaluates the effect of pre-sowing nitrogen application in cotton crops and cover crops by direct seeding, on the development and yield of cotton. It was conducted in the municipality of Selviria-MS during the agricultural years 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08. The experimental design used was a randomized block design consisting of three cover crops (forage turnip, black oat and white oat) and four nitrogen doses (0, 30, 60 and 90 kg of N ha(-1)) in pre-sowing of cotton. In April 2006, April 2007 and April 2008, the assessments of plant development and also harvesting of the experimental plots of cotton cultivars were conducted. The results showed that after planting the cover crops, the yield and development and the heights of cotton plants increased with the use of pre-sowing N of 90 kg ha(-1), also showing that the forage turnip is a coverage plant that provides increased cotton.

Association between palmoplantar pustulosis and cigarette smoking in Brazil: a case-control study

BackgroundPalmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) discloses some differences compared to vulgar psoriasis (PV) in terms of age of onset, female predominance and low occurrence of psoriasis lesions elsewhere. Cigarette smoking has been associated to PPP in international studies; nevertheless, these studies were never performed among Brazilian.ObjectivesTo compare prevalence of smoking among PPP, PV and other dermatologic patients (NPD).MethodsCase-control study involving 25 PPP patients from a reference psoriasis centre. Two control groups were matched according to gender and age: 50 patients with PV and 50 NPD. Confounders were adjusted by conditional multiple logistic regression.ResultsAmong cases, 84.0% were female and PPP age of disease onset (41.4 years) was greater than PV (34.5 years). Prevalence of ever smoking was higher among cases (92.0%) than PV (52.0%) and NPD (30.0%). Adjusted odds ratio of PPP ever smoking compared to PV and NPD was 9.5 and 36.2, respectively. All smokers reported the onset of their habit before the development of PPP.ConclusionsThere was significant association between PPP and smoking. However, the impact of giving it up in the clinical course of the disease remains to be established.

Corrective eyeglasses and medial canthal basal cell carcinoma: a case-control study

Background Corrective eyeglasses are frequently worn by adults, particularly at older ages. Their lenses and frames provide ultraviolet protection. Medial canthal basal cell carcinomas are infrequent (38%), and their relation with the use of corrective glasses was not yet investigated. Objectives To assess the prevalence of corrective eyeglasses use in individuals with medial canthal basal cell carcinoma. Methods Case-control study using two controls matched by age, gender, and ethnicity for each case. Cases were patients with medial canthal basal cell carcinoma, and controls were patients with basal cell carcinoma elsewhere on the face. The prevalence of major risk variables was estimated and adjusted by conditional multiple logistic regression. Results Fifty cases and 100 controls were assessed. The mean patient age was 69.7 years, and 54% of the subjects were females. No difference regarding the eyeglasses use or use duration was found between groups. However, when visual defects were separately evaluated, eyeglasses for myopia correction were independently associated with lower risk of medial canthal basal cell carcinoma development (OR = 0.26; P = 0.03), what can be related to long term local photoprotection. Conclusion The use of eyeglasses for myopia correction is associated with lower prevalence of medial cantal basal cell carcinoma. Risk-reducing mechanisms should be elucidated.

Critical analysis of the international classification of headache disorders diagnostic criteria (ICHD I-1988) and (ICHD II-2004), for migraine in children and adolescents

The present study analyzed the (ICHD I-1988) and ( ICHD II-2004) diagnostic criteria in children and adolescents. Our population consisted of 496 patients of the Headache Outpatient Ward for Children and Adolescents retrospectively studied from 1992 to 2002. Individuals were classified according to three diagnostic groups: Intuitive Clinical Diagnosis ( Gold Standard), ICHD I-1988 and ICHD II-2004. They were statistically compared using the variables: Sensitivity ( S), Specificity (Sp), Positive Predictive Value (PPV), Negative Predictive Value (NPV). When ICHD I-1988 was used, the sensitivity of migraine without and with aura was 21% and 27%, respectively, whereas in ICHD II-2004 it changed to 53% and 71% without affecting specificity. As a conclusion, the current classification criteria ( ICHD II-2004) showed greater sensitivity and high specificity for migraine than ICHD I-1988, although it improved migraine diagnosis in children and adolescents, the sensitivity remains poor.

Crystallization and preliminary diffraction data of a platelet-aggregation inhibitor from the venom of Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus (North American water moccasin)

Applaggin (Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus platelet-aggregation inhibitor) is a potent inhibitor of blood platelet aggregation derived from the venom of the North American water moccasin, the protein consists of 71 amino acids, is rich in cysteines, contains the sequence-recognition site of adhesion proteins at positions 50-52 (Arg-Gly-Asp) and shares high sequence homology with other snake-venom disintegrins such as echistatin, kistrin and trigramin, Single crystals of applaggin have been grown and X-ray diffraction data have been collected to a resolution of 3.2 Angstrom. The crystals belong to space group P4(1)2(1)2 (or its enantiomorph), with unit-cell dimensions a = b = 63.35, c = 74.18 Angstrom and two molecules per asymmetric unit. Molecular replacement using models constructed from the NMR structures of echistatin and kistrin has not been successful in producing a trial structure for applaggin.

Crystal structure of a dimeric Ser49 PLA(2)-like myotoxic component of the Vipera ammodytes meridionalis venomics reveals determinants of myotoxicity and membrane damaging activity

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Cr3C2-NiCr and WC-Ni thermal spray coatings as alternatives to hard chromium for erosion-corrosion resistance

Cr3C2-NiCr and WC-Ni coatings are widely used for wear applications at high and room temperature, respectively. Due to the high corrosion resistance of NiCr binder, Cr3C2-NiCr coatings are also used in corrosive environments. The application of WC-Ni coatings in corrosive media is 14 not recommended due to the poor corrosion resistance of the (pure Ni) metallic matrix. It is well known that the addition of Cr to the metallic binder improves the corrosion properties. Erosion-corrosion performance of thermal spray coatings is widely influenced by ceramic phase composition, the size of ceramic particles and also the composition of the metallic binder. In the present work, two types of HVOF thermal spray coatings (Cr3C2-NiCr and WC-Ni) obtained with different spray conditions were studied and compared with conventional micro-cracked hard chromium coatings. Both as-sprayed and polished samples were tested under two erosion-corrosion conditions with different erosivity. Tungsten carbide coatings showed better performance under the most erosive condition, while chromium carbide coatings were superior under less erosive conditions. Some of the tungsten carbide coatings and hard chromium showed similar erosion-corrosion behaviour under more and less erosive conditions. The erosion-corrosion and electrochemical results showed that surface polishing improved the erosion-corrosion properties of the thermally sprayed coatings. The corrosion behaviour of the different coatings has been compared using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization curves. Total material loss due to erosion-corrosion was determined by weight loss measurements. An estimation of the corrosion contribution to the total weight loss was also given. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Salmonella spp. em carcaças, carne mecanicamente separada, lingüiças e cortes comerciais de frango

Alimentos de origem animal representam papel fundamental na epidemiologia das salmoneloses humanas. Apesar dos avanços tecnológicos, a carne de frango ainda é passível de contaminação bacteriana, especialmente por microrganismos do gênero Salmonella, que podem encontrar-se albergados no trato intestinal ou em outra parte do corpo das aves. O presente trabalho objetivou pesquisar a ocorrência de Salmonella em carne de frango e derivados procedentes da região Nordeste do Estado de São Paulo. Foram analisadas, através do método convencional de cultivo, 45 amostras de carcaças, 60 de carne mecanicamente separada (CMS), 25 de lingüiça de frango, 20 de peito, e 15 de coxa e sobre-coxa. Salmonella spp. foi encontrada em 13,3% (6/45) das carcaças, 25% (15/60) das amostras de CMS, 16% (4/25) das lingüiças, 30% (6/20) dos peitos e 13,3% (2/15) das coxas e sobre-coxas analisadas. do total de 165 amostras analisadas, 33 (20%) apresentaram contaminação por Salmonella estando, portanto, impróprias para o consumo conforme legislação brasileira.

Espessura da lâmina de cisalhamento na avaliação instrumental da textura da carne

A padronização da textura é um dos principais problemas relacionados à qualidade da carne bovina. Por isso, a avaliação objetiva da maciez, por métodos mecânicos, vem sendo estudada há muitos anos. Para que a avaliação instrumental da textura seja uma ferramenta efetiva nos estudos envolvendo a maciez da carne, é necessário minimizar as causas de variação envolvidas na análise. Atualmente, a força de cisalhamento Warner-Bratzler é o método mais amplamente empregado para essa finalidade. O protocolo padrão dessa técnica analítica preconiza a utilização de uma lâmina de cisalhamento de 1,016mm de espessura. Neste trabalho, foram comparados dados de textura de carne bovina obtidos com a lâmina de cisalhamento padrão Warner-Bratzler, de 1,016mm de espessura, e uma lâmina mais grossa, de 3,05mm de espessura. Após o abate, amostras de músculo Longissimus dorsi, semelhantes em relação aos teores de umidade, lipídeos e proteínas, foram submetidas a duas diferentes temperaturas de resfriamento, atingindo diferentes velocidades de queda de temperatura e, consequentemente, diferentes graus de contração do tecido muscular, o que foi confirmado pela determinação do comprimento dos sarcômeros. Os resultados demonstraram uma maior sensibilidade da lâmina padrão Warner-Bratzler na detecção de variações da textura da carne, em função da velocidade de resfriamento.

Butanolides as a common feature of Iryanthera lancifolia and Virola surinamensis

A comparative phytochemical study between pericarps of Iryanthera lancifolia and Virola surinamensis showed that the first one contains a new pair of epimeric 2-alkenyl-gamma-lactones, besides an aryltetralinic lignan and one tocotrienol, while the second species contains the lignans, galgravin and veraguensin, seven juruenolides: juruenolides C, D, F, G and epi-juruenolides D, F, G, together with three pairs of epimeric aliphatic 2-alkenyl-gamma-lactones. Juruenolide F, epi-juruenolides D, F, G and the 2-alkenyl-gamma-lactones are new natural compounds. (C) 1998 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stability for impulsive control systems

In this paper we extend the notion of the control Lyapounov pair of functions and derive a stability theory for impulsive control systems. The control system is a measure driven differential inclusion that is partly absolutely continuous and partly singular. Some examples illustrating the features of Lyapounov stability are provided.

Bifurcation of limit cycles from a centre in R-4 in resonance 1:N

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Reproductive biology of the shrimp Rimapenaeus constrictus (Decapoda, Penaeidae) in the ubatuba region of Brazil

Sexual maturity, temporal reproductive pattern, and recruitment of juveniles were examined for the shrimp Rimapenaeus constrictus at three different bays in the Ubatuba region (Mar Virado, Ubatuba, and Ubatumirim), State of São Paulo (23°S 45°W). Monthly samples were taken from January 1998 to December 1999. The presence or absence of mating plugs (associated with mating and insemination) and ovarian maturity were used to examine breeding in adult females. The whole sample comprised 3863 females and 1468 males. Estimates of size (carapace length) at the onset of sexual maturity were 7.0 mm and 7.8 mm for males and females, respectively. Higher percentage of females bearing ripe gonads was observed during spring and summer over the course of the study, contrasting to the low proportion in fall 1998 and winter 1999. Juvenile shrimps were sampled year-round. These results suggest a continuous reproductive pattern for R. constrictus. Mating, spawning, and juvenile recruitment took place mostly in shallow waters up to 20-m depths in the study region. Warm to mild temperatures may favour the spawning pattern observed in this species. The classical paradigm of continuous reproduction at lower latitudes, with increased seasonality of breeding period at higher latitudes, seems to apply to this species.

Charge density alterations in human hair fibers: An investigation using electrostatic force microscopy

A new method for high-resolution analyses of hair surface charge density under ambient conditions is presented in this paper. Electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) is used here to analyze changes in surface charge density in virgin hair, bleached hair, and hair treated with a cationic polymer. The atomic force microscopy technique is used concomitantly to analyze morphological changes in hair roughness and thickness. The EFM images depict exactly how the polymer is distributed on the surface of the hair fiber. The EFM's powerful analytical tools enabled us to evaluate the varying degrees of interaction between the hair fiber surface charge density and the cationic polymer. The surface charge density and the polymer's distribution in the hair fibers are presented in the light of EFM measurements. © 2006 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Socièété Française de Cosmétologie.

A new antifungal phenolic glycoside derivative and iridoids and lignans from Alibertia sessilis (Vell.) K. Schum. (Rubiaceae)

A new antifungal phenolic glycoside, 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl-1-O-β-D- (5-O-syringoyl)-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), together with four known iridoids, geniposidic acid (2), geniposide (3), 6α-hydroxygeniposide (4) and 6β-hydroxygeniposide (5); two lignans, (+)-lyoniresinol-3α-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (6), (-)-lyoniresinol- 3α-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (7); and two phenolic acids, chlorogenic (8) and salicylic acids (9) and D-manitol (10), were isolated from the ethanolic extract of the stems of Alibertia sessilis. Structures of 1 and of the known compounds were determined by spectroscopic analysis. All compounds isolated were evaluated for their antifungal activities against two phytopathogenic fungi strains Cladosporium cladosporioides and C. sphaerospermum by direct bioautography. ©2007 Sociedade Brasileira de Química.