Evaluation of yield advantage indexes in carrot-lettuce intercropping systems

The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of the association between carrot and lettuce crops in several intercropping systems through different yield advantage indexes, as well as to assess which system is better for the environmental resources management with respect to productivity and economic indicators. A 'group balanced block' experimental design was used, with four replications. Cultivars of lettuce crispleaf ('Lucy Brown', 'Tainá', 'Laurel' and 'Verônica') and looseleaf ('Babá de Verão', 'Maravilha das Quatro Estações', 'Elisa' and 'Carolina') groups were evaluated in intercropping systems with 'Alvorada' and 'Brasilia' carrot cultivars. The land equivalent ratio (LER) and yield efficiency index (YEI) were estimated, besides economic indicators such as gross (GI) and net (NI) income, modified monetary advantage (MMA), return rate (RR) and profit margin (PM). The evaluated indexes showed that carrot is the dominant and lettuce the dominated crop. Higher biological/agronomic efficiency indexes and economic indicators were observed in intercropping systems with 'Brasilia' carrot as component crop and that based on the crispleaf lettuce group.

A comparison of performance indexes in DC-DC converters under different stabilizing state-dependent switching laws

This paper deals with the problem of establishing stabilizing state-dependent switching laws in DC-DC converters operating at continuous conduction mode (CCM) and comparing their performance indexes. Firstly, the nature of the problem is defined, that is, the study of switched affine systems, which may not share a common equilibrium point. The concept of stability is, therefore, broadened. Then, the central theorem is proposed, from which a family of switching laws can be derived, namely the minimum law and the hold state law. Some of these are proved to stabilize the basic DC-DC converters and then, their performances are compared to another law, from a previous work, by simulation, where a great reduction in overshoot is obtained. © 2011 IEEE.

Indexes of structural reform in Latin America

Includes bibliography

Social and environmental indexes to determine the impacts of closed neighbourhoods in Brazil

São Paulo State, in Brazil, is getting increasingly crowded, like in other third world countries around the world, so should give great importance to city development. This work considered the phenomenon of closed neighbourhoods (CN) as an important factor to city planning, papers report many impacts of this model of neighbourhoods in other countries, but in Brazil its impacts are not yet well listed in the literature. The aim of this work was to determine indicators to achieve the social and environmental performances and verify their applicability on three different closed neighbourhoods in São Paulo state, Brazil. The indicators were condensed on indexes: water management, waste management, energy and emissions, legal compliance, environment and buildings, risk management, health and education and governance. The preliminary results indicated several social and environmental problems in all indexes. © 2013 WIT Press.

Chromosomal imbalances in successive moments of human bladder urothelial carcinoma

Objective: To understand developmental characteristics of urinary bladder carcinomas (UBC) by evaluating genomic alterations and p53 protein expression in primary tumors, their recurrences, and in the morphologically normal urothelium of UBC patients. Methods: Tumors and their respective recurrences, six low-grade and five high-grade cases, provided 19 samples that were submitted to laser microdissection capture followed by high resolution comparative genomic hybridization (HR-CGH). HR-CGH profiles went through two different analyses-all tumors combined or classified according to their respective histologic grades. In a supplementary analysis, 124 primary urothelial tumors, their recurrences, and normal urothelium biopsied during the period between tumor surgical resection and recurrence, were submitted to immunohistochemical analyses of the p53 protein. During the follow-up of at least 21 patients, urinary bladder washes citologically negative for neoplastic cells were submitted to fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to detect copy number alterations in centromeres 7, 17, and 9p21 region. Results and Conclusions: HR-CGH indicated high frequencies (80%) of gains in 11p12 and losses in 16p12, in line with suggestions that these chromosome regions contain genes critical for urinary bladder carcinogenesis. Within a same patient, tumors and their respective recurrences showed common genomic losses and gains, which implies that the genomic profile acquired by primary tumors was relatively stable. There were exclusive genomic alterations in low and in high grade tumors. Genes mapped in these regions should be investigated on their involvement in the urinary bladder carcinogenesis. Successive tumors from same patient did not present similar levels of protein p53 expression; however, when cases were grouped according to tumor histologic grades, p53 expression was directly proportional to tumor grades. Biopsies taken during the follow-up of patients with history of previously resected UBC revealed that 5/15 patients with no histologic alterations had more than 25% of urothelial cells expressing the p53 protein, suggesting that the apparently normal urothelium was genomically unstable. No numerical alterations of the chromosomes 7, 17, and 9p21 region were found by FISH during the periods free-of-neoplasia. Our data are informative for further studies to better understand urinary bladder urothelial carcinogenesis. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Stem anatomy and development of successive cambia in Hebanthe eriantha (Poir.) Pedersen: A neotropical climbing species of the Amaranthaceae

Hebanthe eriantha (Poir.) Pedersen, a climbing species of the Amaranthaceae increases in stem thickness by forming successive cambia. The family is dominated by herbaceous species and is constantly under discussion due to its disputed nature of the meristem. In the young stem small alternate segments of vascular cambium cease to divide and new arc of cambium initiates outside to it. The newly formed arcs connect with pre-existing alternate segments of cambium to complete the ring. On the contrary, in thick stems, instead of small segments, complete ring of cambium is replaced by new one. These new alternate segments/cambia originate from the parenchyma cells located outside to the phloem produced by previous cambium. Cambium is storied and exclusively composed of fusiform initials while ray cells remain absent at least in the early part of the secondary growth. However, large heterocellular rays are observed in 15-mm diameter stems but their frequency is much lower. In some of the rays, ray cells become meristematic and differentiate into radially arranged xylem and phloem elements. In fully grown plants, stems are composed of several successive rings of secondary xylem alternating with secondary phloem. Secondary xylem is diffuse-porous and composed of vessels, fibres, axial parenchyma while exceptionally large rays are observed only in the outermost regions of thick stems. Vessel diameter increases progressively from the centre towards the periphery of stems. Although the origin of successive cambia and composition of secondary xylem of H. eriantha remains similar to other herbaceous members of Amaranthaceae, the occurrence of relatively wider and thick-walled vessels and large rays in fully grown plants is characteristic to climbing habit. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Wien.

Poincaré plot indexes of heart rate variability: Relationships with other nonlinear variables

The Poincaré plot for heart rate variability analysis is a technique considered geometrical and non-linear, that can be used to assess the dynamics of heart rate variability by a representation of the values of each pair of R-R intervals into a simplified phase space that describes the system's evolution. The aim of the present study was to verify if there is some correlation between SD1, SD2 and SD1/SD2 ratio and heart rate variability nonlinear indexes either in disease or healthy conditions. 114 patients with arterial coronary disease and 65 healthy subjects underwent 30. minute heart rate registration, in supine position and the analyzed indexes were as follows: SD1, SD2, SD1/SD2, Sample Entropy, Lyapunov Exponent, Hurst Exponent, Correlation Dimension, Detrended Fluctuation Analysis, SDNN, RMSSD, LF, HF and LF/HF ratio. Correlation coefficients between SD1, SD2 and SD1/SD2 indexes and the other variables were tested by the Spearman rank correlation test and a regression analysis. We verified high correlation between SD1/SD2 index and HE and DFA (α1) in both groups, suggesting that this ratio can be used as a surrogate variable. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Indexes of social lag in the communities of Mexico: an application

Includes bibliography

Indices de volumen físico de la producción manufacturera 1970-1990 = Quantum indexes of manufacturing production 1970-1990

Incluye Bibliografía

Evaluation of sperm quality in successive regular collections from captive black-and-gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya)

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

Analysis of cardiac autonomic modulation of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

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

Correlation between heart rate variability indexes and aerobic physiological variables in patients with COPD

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

Lack of acquired resistance in dogs to successive infestations of Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks from Brazil and Argentina

Comparative studies between brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus populations from Brazil (Jaboticabal, São Paulo) and Argentina (Rafaela, Santa Fé) showed significant biological, morphological and genetic differences between them. This work aimed to study, in a comparative way, the acquisition of resistance in domestic dogs to R. sanguineus from Jaboticabal and Rafaela, after successive and controlled infestations. Ticks were kept in a BOD incubator under controlled conditions (27 °C, 80 % relative humidity, 12-h photoperiod). Ten dogs, Dachshund breed, males and females, 6 months old, short- or long-haired, without prior contact with ticks, were used as hosts. They were distributed into two experimental groups composed of five animals each: G1 infested with ten adult couples of R. sanguineus (Jaboticabal) per animal, and G2 infested with ten adult couples of R. sanguineus (Rafaela) per animal. Ticks' biological parameters and titration of antibodies from the dogs' sera by ELISA test were used for comparison between the strains. Results of the biological parameters showed that the dogs did not acquire immunity to either of the R. sanguineus strains after repeated infestations. The ELISA test showed low antibody titers in sera of dogs from G2, in successive infestations, and higher antibody responses post second and third infestations in G1. It also demonstrated cross-reactivity between sera of dogs infested with R. sanguineus (Jaboticabal) and antigens from R. sanguineus (Rafaela) and vice versa. We conclude that Dachshund dogs did not develop resistance against neither Jaboticabal nor Rafaela strains of R. sanguineus.