Due to the growing population of pets, especially homeless dogs and cats, zoonoses still represent a significant public health problem. Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp. are epidemiologically ...important zoonotic agents as they are etiological factors of human toxoplasmosis and toxocariasis, respectively. These parasites remain neglected even though they are substantially prevalent in rural areas. The aim of this study was to investigate T. gondii and T. canis seroprevalence and risk factors of seropositivity in a rural population in Pelotas municipality, Brazil. The study participants (n=344) were patients of a Basic Healthcare Unit (BHU) located in Cerrito Alegre. Blood samples were collected and tested for T. gondii antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence and T. canis antibodies by an indirect ELISA that targets an excreted-secreted antigen (TES). T. gondii seropositivity was 53.2%, with higher titers (1:256 - 1:1,024) in individuals who habitually eat pork, beef, or chicken, while T. canis seropositivity was 71.8% and concomitant T. gondii and T. canis seropositivity was 38.3%. Among the seropositivity risk factors assessed, only habitual undercooked meat consumption was significant (p = 0.046; OR = 3.7) for T. gondii and none of them were associated with T. canis seropositivity. Both parasites have a high prevalence in rural areas, which reinforces the need to invest in rural community education and health.
Acetone was investigated and found to be an appropriate alternative to Triton X-100 as a solvent of essential oils in bioassays aimed to investigate their effects on pinewood nematode ...(Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) mortality. Therefore it was used as dilution agent to screen the effectiveness of fifty two essential oils against this pest. Thirteen essential oils were highly effective, resulting in more than 90% pinewood nematode mortality at 2 mg/mL, with six of them resulting in 100% mortality. LC₁₀₀ values ranged between 0.50 mg/mL and 0.83 mg/mL for the essential oils of Origanum vulgare and Satureja montana, respectively. Essential oils were submitted to gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and their chemical composition established. Data from essential oils with 100% mortality at 2 mg/mL and other essential oils previously found to have LC₁₀₀ ≤ 2 mg/mL was combined, their chemical profiles investigated by correspondences analysis plus automatic classification.
Solution-manufacturing of organic solar cells with best-in-class power conversion efficiency (PCE) will require all layers to be solution-coated without compromising solar cell performance. To date, ...the hole transporting layer (HTL) deposited on top of the organic bulk heterojunction layer in the inverted architecture is most commonly an ultrathin (<10nm) metal oxide layer prepared by vacuum-deposition. Here, we show that an alcohol-based nanocrystalline MoOx suspension with carefully controlled nanocrystal (NC) size can yield state of the art reflective and semitransparent solar cells. Using NCs smaller than the target HTL thickness (∼10nm) can yield compact, pinhole-free films which result in highly efficient polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells with PCE=9.5%. The solution processed HTL is shown to achieve performance parity with vacuum-evaporated HTLs for several polymer:fullerene combinations and is even shown to work as hole injection layer in polymer light emitting diodes (PLED). We also demonstrate that larger MoOx NCs (30–50nm) successfully composite MoOx with Ag nanowires (NW) to form a highly conducting, transparent top anode with exceptional contact properties. This yields state-of-the-art semitransparent polymer: fullerene solar cells with PCE of 6.5% and overall transmission >30%. The remarkable performance of reflective and semitransparent OPVs is due to the uncommonly high fill factors achieved using a carefully designed strategy for implementation of MoOx nanocrystals as HTL materials.
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•MoO3 nanocrystal film HTLs can be as effective as evaporated MoO3 films.•Using solution processed MoO3 HTL PCE of 9.5% is obtained for PTB7-Th:PC71BM.•The universal applicability of s-MoO3 nanocrystals verified for OPVs and PLEDs.•A novel transparent anode of MoO3 nanocrystals with Ag nanowires is demonstrated.•Highly efficient semitransparent OPVs with PCE ~6.5% are obtained with FF>60 %.
Meloidogyne spp., commonly known as root-knot nematodes (RKNs), are economically important plant sedentary endoparasites that cause galls on susceptible hosts. The Columbia root-knot nematode (CRKN), ...M. chitwoodi, is a quarantine A2 type pest by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization since 1998. This nematode has been found associated with economically important crops such as potato and tomato, causing severe damage and making the agricultural products unacceptable for the fresh market and food processing. In vitro co-culture of host and parasite offers an advantageous experimental system for studying plant-RKN interactions. The structure, growth and production of volatiles of Solanum tuberosum hairy roots (HR) and of S. tuberosum HR/CRKN co-cultures were compared. HR were induced by inoculation of aseptic potato tuber segments with Rhizobium rhizogenes. Co-cultures were initiated by inoculating HR with sterilized CRKN eggs. Infection with CRKN induced the RKN symptomatology in the HR and several nematode life stages were observed by light and scanning electron microscopy. Potato HR and HR/CRKN co-cultures exhibited similar growth patterns, evaluated by measuring fresh and dry weight and by the dissimilation method. Volatiles, isolated by distillation–extraction and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, revealed that palmitic acid (37–52 %), n–pentadecanal (10–16 %) and linoleic acid (2–16 %) were the main constitutive components of S. tuberosum HR, and of the HR/CRKN co-cultures (24–44, 8–22 and 4–18 %, respectively). S. tuberosum HR/CRKN co-cultures can be considered a suitable biotechnological tool to study RKN infection mechanism by mimicking what occurs under field conditions.
This work aimed to develop and characterize edible films made with cassava starch and buriti oil in a factorial scheme to verify the effect of the interaction between these factors on the physical ...properties. The experiment was developed in an entirely randomized design in a 2 × 3 factorial scheme. They were prepared with six different formulations evaluating thickness, water solubility, moisture, water activity, chromaticiy (C*), total color difference (ΔE*), opacity and light transmittance, tensile strength and elongation at break, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. There were effects of each factor on the film properties as well as interaction effects. It was found that with the increase in the concentration of buriti oil, there was a decrease in water solubility, tensile strength, and elongation at break. Higher concentrations of cassava starch increased the thickness and tensile strength. On the other hand, it decreased the moisture content, water solubility, and elongation at break. Transparency, C*, and ΔE* were influenced by the interaction effect between the factors. On the other hand, films with higher oil content showed greater thermal degradation. We conclude that films made with 6% cassava starch and 1% buriti oil present better mechanical and thermal properties with the possibility of application in the food industry.
Films made with 6% cassava starch and 1% buriti oil showed better mechanical and thermal properties.
In this work we study the quantum spin-1/2 Heisenberg model in two dimensions, with a nearest-neighbor short-range antiferromagnetic exchange (J) and a long-range ferromagnetic dipole–dipole (Ed) ...coupling. Using the double-time Green's function method within the random phase approximation (RPA) we obtain the magnon dispersion relation as function of frustration parameter δ (δ being the ratio between exchange and dipolar interactions δ=J/Ed). We study the competition between long-range ferromagnetic dipole–dipole interaction and short-range antiferromagnetic exchange in stabilizing the magnetic long-range order in a two-dimensional system. We find that the ferromagnetic order is stable at small k up to critical value of frustration δc=0.04375. For frustration higher than the critical value (δ>δc) our magnetic system is disordered.
► Competition between interactions short-range (exchange J) and long-range dipole–dipole (Ed) is studied. ► The quantum spin-1/2 Heisenberg model in two dimensions is used as example. ► The interactions are exchange (antiferromagnetic) and ferromagnetic dipole–dipole. ► The double-time Green's function method and RPA is used to obtain the dispersion relations of the acoustic branch. ► The system has ferromagnetic order stable for values less than critical of frustration (J/Ed).
Manganese (Mn) and aluminum (Al) toxicities are serious edaphic limitations to crop production in acidic soils. Excess Mn can be countered using a stress-adapted soil microbiota that establish ...symbiotic relationships with native plants. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associated with Lolium rigidum L. develop extraradical mycelia (ERM) that quickly colonize wheat and lead to greater shoot growth by promoting stress-evading mechanisms that are not yet completely explained. In the present study, wheat growth was assessed after 3 weeks on disturbed and undisturbed (intact ERM) acidic soil where the native non-mycotrophic Silene gallica L. or strongly mycotrophic L. rigidum were previously developed. The physiological and biochemical mechanisms responsible for increased growth were analyzed by assessing wheat leaf chlorophyll content, photosystem II quantum yield and performance index, enzymatic activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and contents and subcellular localization of Mn, Mg, Si and K. The soil from native plants had a beneficial effect on shoot weight and chlorophyll levels. The highest benefits were obtained for wheat grown in soil with intact ERM associated with L. rigidum. In this condition, where earlier mycorrhization was favored, the Mn content decreased, alongside the content of Si, while the Mg/Mn ratio increased. Mn was redirected to the apoplast, while Si was redirected to the symplast. The activity of APX, GPX and SOD increased, probably due to increased metabolic growth (higher shoot weight and chlorophyll content). Understanding the mechanisms induced by native AMF responsible for increasing wheat performance can contribute to the establishment of sustainable approaches for crop production in acidic soils with Mn toxicity. The use of native plant AMF developers can improve the sustainable use of natural resources in the scope of greener agricultural practices.
This work aimed to characterize the biochar produced from residues of coconut fruit and to evaluate how it might beneficially alter the retention capacity of water and nutrients in soils with a sandy ...texture. The biochar was produced in a retort furnace and later analyzed to determine its chemical and physical characteristics. Experiments to analyze the retention potential of the biochar for water and nutrients were performed in PVC columns filled to a 400 mm depth, with the upper 300 mm receiving treatments that consisted of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5% (p p-1) biochar mixed with soil. For the nutrient retention experiment, in addition to the biochar concentrations, the treatments received the same NPK fertilization. The experiments were performed in a completely randomized design with four replications. The water retention in the upper 300 mm, as well as the pH, effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) of the substrate, base saturation, and concentrations of P and K, increased with increasing biochar concentration. Coconut biochar demonstrated potential for increasing water retention and improving nutrient retention in sandy soils.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
ABSTRACT Introduction: obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is a serious confition that compromises the quality of life and survival of patients. Its main risk fator in adults is obesity and the ...gold standard test for diagnosis is polysomnography (PSG), mainly through the apneia-hypopnea index (AHI). Objective: to analyze the sleep pattern of obese patients with indication for bariatric surgery, determining the main polisomnographic parameters compromised by obesity. Methods: This work is a cross-sectional study with analysis of polysomnography perfomed in patients with obesity in the peroperative period of bariatric surgery at a clinic in Vitória da Conquista/BA during 2017. The Epi Info 7 platform was used for analysis of the data. Results: 58 polysomnographic reports were analyzed, with 56,9% morbdly obese and 43,1% non-morbid. The prevalence of OSAS was 70,68% and de AHI ranged from zero to 84,6 with a mean of 19,47±22,89 e/h. morbidly obese, compared to “non-morbid”, had a longer saturation time below 80% and 90% (0,4±0,93 vs. 0,12±0,45 e 4,87±7,38 vs. 1,36±2,87 respectively; p-value=0,02 in both), worse index respiratory disorders ((29,24±25,36 vs. 16,88±16,21; p-value=0,02), higher AHI (24,71±25,68 vs. 12,56±16,67; p-value=0,02), higher hypopnea index values (16,41±17,10 vs. 6,99±8,52; p-value=0,006) and lower minimum saturation (78,24±9,80 vs. 85,24±6,33; p-value=0,004). Conclusions: the high prevalence of OSAS found confirms its indication in the preoperative period of bariatric surgery. The main respiratory event involved in most individuals with OSAS was the hypopnea index.
RESUMO Introdução: a Síndrome da Apnéia e Hipopnéia Obstrutiva do Sono (SAHOS) é uma grave patologia que compromete a qualidade de vida e sobrevida dos portadores. Seu principal fator de risco em adultos é a obesidade e o exame padrão ouro para diagnóstico é a polissonografia (PSG), sobretudo através do índice de apneiahipopneia (IAH). Objetivo: analisar o padrão de sono dos pacientes obesos com indicação à cirurgia bariátrica, determinando os principais parâmetros polissonográficos comprometidos pela obesidade. Métodos: Este trabalho se trata de um estudo transversal com análise das polissonografias feitas em pacientes com obesidade no préoperatório de cirurgia bariátrica em uma clínica em Vitória da Conquista/BA durante o ano de 2017. Foi utilizada a plataforma Epi Info 7 para análise dos dados. Resultados: analisados 58 laudos polissonográficos, sendo 56,9% obesos mórbidos e 43,1% não mórbidos. A prevalência de SAHOS foi 70,68% e o IAH variou de zero a 84,6 com média de 19,47±22,89 e/h. Os obesos mórbidos, comparados aos “não mórbidos”, tiveram maior tempo de saturação abaixo de 80% e 90% (0,4±0,93 vs. 0,12±0,45 e 4,87±7,38 vs. 1,36±2,87 respectivamente; p=0,02 em ambos), pior índice de distúrbios respiratórios (29,24±25,36 vs. 16,88±16,21; p=0,02), maior IAH (24,71±25,68 vs. 12,56±16,67; p=0,02), valores de índices de hipopneia superiores (16,41±17,10 vs. 6,99±8,52; p=0,006) e menor saturação mínima (78,24±9,80 vs. 85,24±6,33; p=0,004). Conclusões: a alta prevalência de SAHOS encontrada ratifica sua indicação no pré-operatório de cirurgia bariátrica. O principal evento respiratório envolvido na maioria dos indivíduos com SAHOS foi o índice de hipopneia.
Two oxygen-containing monoterpene substrates, menthol or geraniol (25 mg l⁻¹), were added to Anethum graveolens hairy root cultures to evaluate the influence of the biotransformation capacity on ...growth and production of volatile compounds. Growth was assessed by the dissimilation method and by fresh and dry weight measurement. The volatiles were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The total constitutive volatile component was composed, in more than 50%, by falcarinol (17-52%), apiole (11-24%), palmitic acid (7-16%), linoleic acid (4-9%), myristicin (4-8%) and n-octanal (2-5%). Substrate addition had no negative influence on growth. The relative amount of menthol quickly decreased 48 h after addition, and the biotransformation product menthyl acetate was concomitantly formed. Likewise, the added geraniol quickly decreased over 48 h alongside with the production of the biotransformation products. The added geraniol was biotransformed in 10 new products, the alcohols linalool, α-terpineol and citronellol, the aldehydes neral and geranial, the esters citronellyl, neryl and geranyl acetates and linalool and nerol oxides.
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