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Medicinal plants have been used for centuries as an essential part of folk medicine. In recent times, they have been the target of numerous scientific studies due to their effectiveness against sev...

For a long time fruits and vegetables have been the target of many studies and have been greatly promoted due to their nutritional value and abundance of bioactive compounds, known for their protec...

To meet a global demand for timber, tree plantations were established in South America during the first half of the 20th century. Extensive plantings of non-native species now are found in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. In Colombia, miscellaneous plantations were established in the 1950s, during a period of intensive local logging, when policies to limit deforestation in native Quercus humboldtii forests were established. One unforeseen consequence of planting non-native trees was the simultaneous introduction and subsequent persistence of ectomycorrhizal fungi. We sought to document the origins and spread of the introduced Amanita muscaria found in Colombian plantations of the Mexican species Pinus patula, North American species P. taeda, and Australian species Acacia melanoxylon and Eucalyptus globulus. In Colombia, Amanita muscaria is establishing a novel association with native Q. humboldtii and has spread to local Q. humboldtii forests. According to a Bayesian phylogeny and haplotype analysis based on the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8-ITS2 (ITS barcode), A. muscaria individuals found in four exotic plant species, and those colonizing Q. humboldtii roots, have a Eurasian origin and belong to two Eurasian haplotypes. This is the first time the spread of an introduced mutualist fungus into native Colombian Q. humboldtii forests is reported. To arrest its spread, we suggest the use of local inocula made up of native fungi, instead of inocula of introduced fungi.

This paper addresses the output feedback control design problem with limited data-rate constraints. These communication constraints may affect the transmission of control signals or measurements, g...

The population aging and consequent epidemiological changes in elderly population create new challenges for physiotherapists’ intervention and their decision-making process [1]. Ethical issues are ...

A morphological comparison of type and non-type material of species of Campylocia, including their junior synonyms, was conducted, in addition to neighbour joining based on K2P distances and Bayesian inference analyses of 376 bp of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI) of recently collected specimens. Results revealed the lack of distinguishing characters between C. bocainensis and C. dochmia supported by the molecular analysis, where the overlap of intra- and interspecific genetic divergences suggested genetic flow among individuals. Campylocia burmeisteri is revalidated as a senior synonym of Brazilian south-eastern species C. bocainensis and C. dochmia and of E. guntheri, formerly a synonym of C. anceps. Campylocia burmeisteri is redescribed based on material from its type-locality, Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro State. Two new species, C. demoulini sp. nov. and C. araca sp. nov., are described from the Amazon rain forest and a third species, C. orosi sp. nov., is described from Costa Rica. ...

The serum biochemical profiles, thyroid hormones, body weights and the production and quality of eggs subsequent to moulting, were compared in laying hens subjected to conventional forced moulting or forced moulting with a diet high in zinc. A total of 200 Dekalb White laying hens in their second production cycle were studied. Blood sampling was conducted in a factorial experimental design (2 × 3) with two methods of moulting (fasting or zinc) and three sampling periods (pre-moult, moult and subsequent peak). Total egg protein content, including globulins, was greater with the zinc diet, whereas egg weight and albumen percentage were greater after fasting. The zinc method resulted in an increased shell thickness and calcium percentage but lower percentage of phosphorus. During the moulting period, the hens in the zinc group had heavier mean body weights. It was concluded that moulting with a high-zinc diet could replace fasting, without negative effects on body weight, biochemical variables or subsequent egg quality and production. The zinc method was also better for the birds' welfare.

This paper provides the optimal solution of the filtering design problem for a special class of discrete-time Markov jump linear systems whose transition probability matrix has identical rows. In the two-mode case, this is equivalent to saying that the random variable has a Bernoulli distribution. For that class of dynamic systems we design, with the help of new necessary and sufficient linear matrix inequality conditions, and optimal mode-independent filters with the same order of the plant. As a first proposal available in the literature, for partial information characterised by cluster availability of the mode, we also show it is possible to design optimal full-order linear filters. If some plant matrices do not vary within the same cluster, we show that the optimal filter exhibits the internal model structure. We complete the results with illustrative examples. A realistic practical application considering sensors connected to a network using a communication protocol such as the Token Ring is included...

Diagnosing nutrient insufficiencies or toxicities in sorghum through foliar analysis is still unusual and mainly used for grain sorghum. The influences of the combinations of four nitrogen (N) rates with three sodium chloride (NaCl) rates on the leaf N, phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), and sodium (Na) concentrations of sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. saccharatum], cropped for ethanol production, and on biomass and sugar yields were evaluated in three consecutive years of an experiment established on a Eutric Fluvisol equipped with a trickle irrigation system (“triple emitter source”). The relationships among leaf nutrient concentrations, dry matter, and sugar yields were also examined. Nitrogen, much more than salinity, affected leaf nutrient concentration, stem dry weight, and sugar yield. Leaf N concentration was the best indicator for predicting sugar production of sweet sorghum.

To assess reproductive function in male ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients in comparison to healthy controls.Twenty AS patients were compared to 24 healthy male subjects with regard to demographic data, urological examination, testicular ultrasound (US), semen analysis, anti-sperm antibodies, and hormone profile. Exclusion criteria were present use of sulfasalazine or methotrexate, and ever use of biological/cytotoxic agents. Disease activity of AS was evaluated by clinical and laboratory assessments.Demographic data were similar in AS and controls (p = 0.175). Varicocele was found significantly more frequently in AS patients than in controls (40% vs. 8%, p = 0.027). Semen analysis revealed no significant differences in sperm quality between AS patients and controls (p0.05). By contrast, the median of normal sperm forms was significantly lower in AS patients with vs. those without varicocele [13.5 (range 2-27) vs. 22 (range 10-32.5)%, p = 0.049] whereas no difference in sperm morphology was observed comparing AS patients and controls without varicocele (p = 0.670). Comparison of AS patients with and without varicocele showed that anti-sperm antibodies, hormones, inflammatory markers, and disease activity scores did not contribute to the impaired sperm morphology observed in AS patients with varicocele.An increased frequency of varicocele was found in AS patients associated with sperm abnormalities but independent of therapy, anti-sperm antibodies, hormonal alterations, or disease parameters. Investigation for varicocele should be routine in AS patients with fertility problems.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the psychometric properties and health correlates of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) in a cohort of Australian community-residing older women. METHOD: Cross-sectional study of a population-based cohort of women aged 60 years and over (N = 286). RESULTS: The GAI exhibited sound internal consistency and demonstrated good concurrent validity against the state half of the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory and the neuroticism domain of the NEO five-factor inventory. GAI score was significantly associated with self-reported sleep difficulties and perceived memory impairment, but not with age or cognitive function. Women with current DSM-IV Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) had significantly higher GAI scores than women without such a history. In this cohort, the optimal cut-point to detect current GAD was 8/9. Although the GAI was designed to have few somatic items, women with a greater number of general medical problems or who rated their general health as worse had higher GAI scores. CONCLUSION: The GAI is a new scale designed specifically to measure anxiety in older people. In this Australian cohort of older women, the instrument had sound psychometric properties.

The purpose of this study was: (i) to characterize the school indoor environment; (ii) to evaluate self-reported prevalence of disease symptoms among Portuguese teachers; and (iii) to evaluate, as far as we know for the first time in Portugal, the impact of the indoor air quality of schools on the prevalence of disease symptoms among teachers. The study was performed in the city of Oporto, starting in 2004; it included the analysis of questionnaires fulfilled by schoolteachers (n = 177), walkthrough surveys of schools grounds, buildings, and individual classrooms (n = 76), as well as indoor air monitoring. Respirable particle increase was related to chalk use and CO2 concentrations widely exceeded reference values. Schools located near traffic lines presented higher benzene and toluene concentrations. The guideline for total viable microorganism concentration was exceeded in 35.6% of classrooms. Significant increases in disease symptoms among teachers could be related to poor indoor air quality, ...

This paper addresses the ℋ2 filtering design problem of discrete-time Markov jump linear systems. First, under the assumption that the Markov parameter is measured, the main contribution is on the LMI characterisation of all filters such that the estimation error remains bounded by a given ℋ2 norm level, yielding the complete solution of the mode-dependent filtering design problem. Based on this result, a robust filter design to deal with convex bounded parameter uncertainty is considered. Second, from the same LMI characterisation, a design procedure for mode-independent filtering design is proposed. Some examples are solved for illustration and comparison.

Industrial wastes containing synthetic organic compounds and heavy metals are among the most dangerous residues, whose growth has followed the increase in industrial activity. Heavy metals are readily assimilated into the food chain and therefore easily accumulated in the ecosystem. To remove heavy metals from aqueous solutions, marine algae may be used as adsorbents either in their natural form or after treatments by a cross-linking process to improve their mechanical resistance. Drying of biosorbents, such as marine algae, is mentioned in many previous works as a step preceding the adsorption/dessorption cycle. Concerning algae, drying of its fresh biomass allows for proper storage and enhances performance in the sorption of heavy metals. In this work, physical and morphological analyses of fresh and dried Sargassum sp. marine algae, harvested offshore São Sebastião, São Paulo state, Brazil, were performed in order to assess the influence of drying conditions on the biosorption process. Chromium concentrations were also determined in different parts of the algal structure before and after the biosorption process. The drying promoted structural changes in the algae, like shrinkage and porosity reduction. It was also observed that the chromium retention was dependent on the structural arrangement of the alga parts, in which the leaf was the major biosorbent.

Mathematical models are often used to simulate water movement and transport of ions, through the soil profile, as a tool to implement better agricultural practices. The most important input data for such models are the unsaturated soil hydraulic properties, solute transport parameters, and adsorption isotherms, the latter relating the concentration of ions at equilibrium in soil solution the concentration of the ions absorbed by each type of soil. As Na adsorption depends not only on Na concentration in solution, but also on the composition of the electrolyte, mainly [ Ca + Mg], competing to adsorption sites, the Freundlich model to describe monocomponent Na adsorption, as well as a competitive extended Freundlich equation, were applied to study Na adsorption in a Fluvisol, considering the application of three different quality irrigation waters. Equations of the Freundlich type, relating exchangeable Na percentage (ESP) and Na adsorption ratio (SAR), ESP = K*(SAR) m , were also determined. The p...

Several homogenisation treatments were applied to direct chill (DC) cast ingots of aluminium alloy 6063, in order to analyse the resulting microstructures developed from these diverse conditions and their effects on the hot ductility of this alloy. Imaging was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a focused ion beam (FIB) instrument. These techniques identified variations in distribution and morphology of second phase particles (AlFeSi and Mg2Si). FIB results for the various AlFeSi particles correctly identify their shapes in three dimensions (3D). The particles were identified by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) in the SEM, and by X-ray diffraction (XRD) for bulk samples. Hot tensile testing (HTT) was conducted between 470 and 600°C to asses the hot ductility for each condition. The inferior ductility of as cast samples was due to the poor bond strength of the β AlFeSi phase at the grain boundaries. Homogenised samples, which contain α AlFeSi, exhibited improved ductility. Sa...

The Monte Carlo code MCNP-4C was used to calculate the effective multiplication coefficient of a core configuration of the Portuguese Research Reactor (RPI) and the neutron fluxes in the core and in the reflector region. A comparison of the results obtained with MCNP and with the deterministic codes WIMSD-5 and CITATION was made. Consistent deviations of 2% for the effective multiplication constant and 8 to 28% for the neutron flux, depending on the energy range, were observed. Thermal, epithermal, and fast neutron flux measurements were performed using activation detectors. The calculations agree with experimental values within

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widely distributed environmental contaminants. Their presence in soils indicates a possible contamination of ground water used for human purposes. Only with a rapid and efficient method could they be analysed in a routine setting. Although there are a great number of publications on this subject, there are many differences between their ideal SFE conditions and related extraction recoveries. With improvements on the extraction capacity of the supercritical fluid such as higher pressure, higher temperature and a stronger modifier effect, the developed method intends to be more robust and applicable to a larger range of matrices. The optimal conditions consist on a 15 minutes extraction at 45 MPa pressure and 95°C. The supercritical fluid is a ternary mixture of CO2 modified with methanol/dichloromethane 5:1. The separation and quantitation was performed by HPLC coupled with a diode array detector in series with a fluorescence detector, which combines high sensiti...

A new improved synthesis of mesoionic 1,3,4-triazolium-2-selenolates is described and three new members of the series thus obtained. They were characterized by Elemental Analysis, I.R., 1Hand 13C NMR and Mass Spectra. The data obtained have been discussed. The chemical shifts at C-2 in the negative region and at C-5 in the positive region were compared with data for corresponding mesoionic-2-thiolates. Our data were also compared with available data for some related classes of mesoionic compounds.

A kinetostatic approach based on flexible multibody dynamics for crashworthiness and structural impact of vehicles is presented here. The equations of motion for a partially flexible body composed of a rigid part and a flexible part are derived accounting for the inertial coupling between each component's gross motion and its elastodynamics. For components having a mass for the flexible part much smaller than the mass of their rigid part the inertial coupling can be neglected. Under these assumptions the flexible part of the body behaves as a massless structure attached to the rigid body and it can be analysed as a separate non-linear structure. The deformations of this flexible part are added to the motion of the rigid part to obtain the complete motion of the flexible body. This computer-based procedure is a kinetostatic method for the analysis of flexible multibody systems subjected to non-linear deformations and impact conditions which is applied to the study of low speed impact of vehicles. The proposed methodology is applied to the study of a new design for energy absorbing devices. Several simulations of the vehicle impact against a rigid wall with different incoming speeds and impact angles are performed and the behaviour of the vehicle occupant during the impact is analysed. Language: en