Search

The productive, morphological and chemical composition of Sudangrass ‘BRS Estribo’ submitted to different heights of management was evaluated. The design was in randomized blocks with four replicates in a 3x2 factorial scheme, with three pre-defoliation heights (40, 55 and 70 cm) and two post-defoliation heights (20 and 10 cm). There was no significance between post-defoliation heights for accumulated forage production (AFP), percentages of leaf blades (%F) and of stem and sheath (%S). The AFP at 70 cm pre-defoliation height (10,071.1 kg ha-1) was higher than at 40 cm height (7,471.3 kg ha-1) and did not differ from defoliation at 55 cm (8,562.3 kg ha-1). Predefoliation at 40 cm showed a higher %F (67.67%) than at the heights of 55 cm (61.74%) and 70 cm (55.15%), which differed from each other. The %S was higher for pre-defoliation at 70 cm (35.57%) than at the heights of 55 (32.08%) and 40 cm (27.75%), which also differed from each other. The different handling heights did not change the contents of dry matter, insoluble fiber in neutral detergent, insoluble fiber in acid detergent and ash, which presented averages of 15.87; 60.34; 28.53; and 10.48%, respectively. However, there was a significant interaction between pre-and post-defoliation heights for crude protein (CP) contents, which the management heights at 40 x 20 cm and 70 x 10 cm presented, respectively, the highest (18.78%) and lowest (12.22%) CP contents of the study. Pre-defoliation heights of 55 cm with 10 or 20 cm of residual height should be used to improve the botanical composition and crude protein content of Sudangrass BRS Estribo forage.

The productive, morphological and chemical composition of Sudangrass ‘BRS Estribo’ submitted to different heights of management was evaluated. The design was in randomized blocks with four replicates in a 3x2 factorial scheme, with three pre-defoliation heights (40, 55 and 70 cm) and two post-defoliation heights (20 and 10 cm). There was no significance between post-defoliation heights for accumulated forage production (AFP), percentages of leaf blades (%F) and of stem and sheath (%S). The AFP at 70 cm pre-defoliation height (10,071.1 kg ha-1) was higher than at 40 cm height (7,471.3 kg ha-1) and did not differ from defoliation at 55 cm (8,562.3 kg ha-1). Predefoliation at 40 cm showed a higher %F (67.67%) than at the heights of 55 cm (61.74%) and 70 cm (55.15%), which differed from each other. The %S was higher for pre-defoliation at 70 cm (35.57%) than at the heights of 55 (32.08%) and 40 cm (27.75%), which also differed from each other. The different handling heights did not change the contents of dry matter, insoluble fiber in neutral detergent, insoluble fiber in acid detergent and ash, which presented averages of 15.87; 60.34; 28.53; and 10.48%, respectively. However, there was a significant interaction between pre-and post-defoliation heights for crude protein (CP) contents, which the management heights at 40 x 20 cm and 70 x 10 cm presented, respectively, the highest (18.78%) and lowest (12.22%) CP contents of the study. Pre-defoliation heights of 55 cm with 10 or 20 cm of residual height should be used to improve the botanical composition and crude protein content of Sudangrass BRS Estribo forage.

In a recent paper (Chian et al., 2016) it was shown that magnetic reconnection at the interface region between two magnetic flux ropes is responsible for the genesis of interplanetary intermittent turbulence. The normalized third-order moment (skewness) and the normalized fourth-order moment (kurtosis) display a quadratic relation with a parabolic shape that is commonly observed in observational data from turbulence in fluids and plasmas, and is linked to non-Gaussian fluctuations due to coherent structures. In this paper we perform a detailed study of the relation between the skewness and the kurtosis of the modulus of the magnetic field |B| during a triple interplanetary magnetic flux rope event. In addition, we investigate the skewness–kurtosis relation of two-point differences of |B| for the same event. The parabolic relation displays scale dependence and is found to be enhanced during magnetic reconnection, rendering support for the generation of non-Gaussian coherent structures via rope–rope magnetic reconnection. Our results also indicate that a direct coupling between the scales of magnetic flux ropes and the scales within the inertial subrange occurs in the solar wind.

Two regioisomers, 3-ferrocenyl-6-methoxybenzo[b]thiophene (IV) and 3-ferrocenyl-4-methoxybenzo[b]thiophene (V), were isolated after an acid-catalysed intramolecular electrophilic cyclisation of 1-ferrocenyl-2-[3-(methoxyphenyl)thio]ethanone. This paper analyses the effect of the different positioning of the methoxy group in the benzothiophene ring on the molecular and crystal structures of both molecules. In isomer IVthis group is more exposed to interactions with adjacent molecules than in V; thus, while in IVthe COMe–H…OOMeintermolecular interactions determine the crystal packing, in Vthe overall assembly results from an interplay of the CCp–H…OOMe, CCp–H…S and CCp–H/π interactions. The supramolecular analysis provides an explanation for the spontaneous solid state separation of these regioisomers and their different physical properties, such as their melting points and their ability to interact with supports during chromatographic separations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent evidence suggests that fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by dysfunctional brain activity. Because transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can modulate brain activity noninvasively and can decrease pain in patients with refractory central pain, we hypothesized that tDCS treatment would result in pain relief in patients with fibromyalgia.Thirty‐two patients were randomized to receive sham stimulation or real tDCS with the anode centered over the primary motor cortex (M1) or the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (2 mA for 20 minutes on 5 consecutive days). A blinded evaluator rated the patient's pain, using the visual analog scale for pain, the clinician's global impression, the patient's global assessment, and the number of tender points. Other symptoms of fibromyalgia were evaluated using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire and the Short Form 36 Health Survey. Safety was assessed with a battery of neuropsychological tests. To assess potential confounders, we measured mood and anxiety changes throughout the trial.Anodal tDCS of the primary motor cortex induced significantly greater pain improvement compared with sham stimulation and stimulation of the DLPFC (P < 0.0001). Although this effect decreased after treatment ended, it was still significant after 3 weeks of followup (P = 0.004). A small positive impact on quality of life was observed among patients who received anodal M1 stimulation. This treatment was associated with a few mild adverse events, but the frequency of these events in the active‐treatment groups was similar to that in the sham group. Cognitive changes were similar in all 3 treatment groups.Our findings provide initial evidence of a beneficial effect of tDCS in fibromyalgia, thus encouraging further trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundThe Arc of Fire across southern Amazonia seasonally attracts worldwide attention as forests are cut and burned for agricultural expansion. These forests contain numerous wild relatives of native South American crops, such as peach palm.Methodology/principal findingsOur prospecting expeditions examined critical areas for wild peach palm in the Arc of Fire in Mato Grosso, Pará, Maranhão and Tocantins, as well as areas not previously examined in Amazonas and Amapá states. Recent digitization of the RADAM Brasil project permitted comparison among RADAM's parataxonomists' observations, previous botanical collections and our prospecting. Mapping on soils and vegetation types enabled us to hypothesize a set of ecological preferences. Wild peach palm is best adapted to Ultisols (Acrisols) in open forests across the Arc of Fire and westward into the more humid western Amazonia. Populations are generally small (fewer than 10 plants) on slopes above watercourses. In northern Mato Grosso and southern Pará soybean fields and pastures now occupy numerous areas where RADAM identified wild peach palm. The controversial BR-163 Highway is already eroding wild peach palm as deforestation expands.Conclusions/significanceMany of these populations are now isolated by increasing forest fragmentation, which will lead to decreased reproduction via inbreeding depression and eventual extinction even without complete deforestation. Federal conservation areas are less numerous in the Arc of Fire than in other parts of Brazilian Amazonia, although there are indigenous lands; these conservation areas contain viable populations of wild peach palm and require better protection than they are currently receiving. Ex situ conservation of these populations is not viable given the relative lack of importance of domesticated peach palm and the difficulty of maintaining even economically interesting genetic resources.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence and factors associated with sarcopenia in older residents in São Paulo, Brazil., Design: Cross-sectional study., Setting: São Paulo, Brazil., Participants: 1,149 older individuals from the second wave of the Saúde, Bem-Estar e Envelhecimento (SABE) study from 2006., Measurements: The definition of sarcopenia was based on the consensus of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP), which include three components: low muscle mass, assessed by a skeletal muscle mass index of ≤8.90 kg/m2 for men and ≤6.37 kg/m2 for women; low muscle strength, assessed by handgrip strength <30 kg for men and <20 kg for women; and low physical performance, assessed by gait speed <0.8 m/s. Diagnosis of sarcopenia required presence of low muscle mass plus low muscle strength or low physical performance. Socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics, medical conditions and nutritional status were considered as independent variables to determine the associated factors using a logistic regression model., Results: The prevalence of sarcopenia was 16.1% in women and 14.4% in men. Advanced age with a dose response effect, cognitive impairment, lower income, smoking, undernutrition and risk for undernutrition (p<0.05) were factors associated with sarcopenia., Conclusions: The EWGSOP algorithm is useful to define sarcopenia. The prevalence of sarcopenia in the Brazilian elderly population is high and several associated factors show that this syndrome is affected by multiple domains. No differences were observed by gender in any age groups.

Nevirapine (11-cyclopropyl-5,11-dihydro-4-methyl-6H-dipyrido[3,2-b:2',3'-e][1,4]diazepin-6-one, NVP) is a non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor used to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus. However, severe hepatotoxicity and serious adverse cutaneous effects have raised concerns about the safety of NVP administration. NVP metabolism yields several phenol-type derivatives conceivably capable of undergoing further metabolic oxidation to electrophilic quinoid species that could react with bionucleophiles. The covalent adducts thus formed might be at the genesis of toxic responses. As an initial step to test this hypothesis, we synthesized the phenolic metabolite, 2-hydroxy-NVP, and investigated its oxidation in vitro. Using potassium nitrosodisulfonate and sodium periodate as model oxidants, we obtained evidence for fast generation of an electrophilic quinone-imine, which readily underwent hydrolytic conversion to fully characterized spiro derivatives, 1'-cyclopropyl-4-methyl-1H,1'H-spiro[pyridine-2,2'-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine]-3,4',6(3'H)-trione in aqueous media and 1'-cyclopropyl-4-methyl-1'H,2H-spiro[pyridine-3,2'-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine]-2,4',6(1H,3'H)-trione in non-aqueous media. The spiro compound generated in aqueous solution underwent subsequent hydrolytic degradation of the NVP ring system, whereas the one formed in non-aqueous media was stable to hydrolysis. The product profile observed with the chemical oxidants in aqueous solution was replicated using lactoperoxidase-mediated oxidation of 2-hydroxy-NVP. These observations suggest that metabolic activation of NVP, via Phase I oxidation to 2-hydroxy-NVP and subsequent generation of a quinone-imine, could occur in vivo and play a role in NVP-induced toxicity.