We study the gravitation effects on a static and spherically symmetric spacetime due to the vacuum expectation value (VEV) of a Kalb–Ramond field. The Kalb–Ramond VEV is a background tensor field ...which produces a local Lorentz symmetry breaking (LSB) of spacetime. Considering a non-minimal coupling between the Kalb–Ramond (VEV) and the Ricci tensor, we obtain an exact parameterdependent power-law modified black hole. For a particular choice of the LSB parameter, the Lorentz violation produces a solution similar to the Reissner–Nordstrom, despite the absence of charge. The near-horizon geometry is modified by including a new inner horizon and shifting the Schwarzschild horizon. Asymptotically, the usual Minkowski spacetime with a background tensor field is recovered. The vacuum configurations are studied considering the energy conditions and the Lorentz violating source properties. By means of the mercury perihelion test, an upper bound to the local Lorentz violation (LV) is obtained, and its corresponding effects on the black hole temperature is investigated.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This study evaluated the effect of bone morphogenetic proteins 2 (BMP2) and 4 (BMP2) on follicle development and mRNA expression for GDF9, Cyclin B1, BMPR1A, BMPR1B, BMPRII, FSHR and SMAD1 in bovine ...secondary follicles cultured in vitro. Isolated secondary follicles were cultured for 18 days in TCM199+ medium alone or supplemented with BMP2 (10 ng/mL), BMP4 (100 ng/mL) or combination of both BMP2 and 4. Real-time PCR was used to analyze mRNA levels in fresh and cultured follicles. After 18 days of culture, follicles cultured with BMP2 alone or with BMP4 alone had larger diameters when compared to control (P < .05). In addition, all treatments promoted antrum formation and maintained a high viability rate through the growing period. The presence of BMP2, BMP4 or both together did not influence mRNA expression for the tested genes. However, the in vitro culture induces down-regulation for mRNA expression of BMPR1A. In conclusion, the addition of BMP2 or BMP4 alone in cultured medium promotes follicular growth and antrum formation in bovine follicles after 18 days of in vitro culture.
•BMP2 and BMP4 increase follicular diameter after 18 days of in vitro culture.•The interaction of BMP2 and BMP4 proteins did not increase follicular diameter.•BMP2 and BMP4 do not influence the relative mRNA expression for GDF9, Cyclin B1, BMPIA, BMPRIB, BMPRII, FSHR and SMAD1 genes.•In vitro culture induces a down-regulation for mRNA expression of BMPR1A.
The treatment of arterial hypertension (AH) contributes to the reduction of morbidity and mortality. Gender differences are likely to play a role, as non-treatment is associated with clinical and ...sociodemographic aspects. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with non-treatment of AH and gender differences in hypertensive individuals from the ELSA-Brasil cohort. The study was conducted with 5,743 baseline hypertensive cohort participants. AH was considered if there was a previous diagnosis or if systolic blood pressure (SBP) was ≥140 and/or diastolic BP (DBP) was ≥90 mmHg. Sociodemographic and anthropometric data, lifestyle, comorbidities, and use of antihypertensive medications were evaluated through interviews and in-person measurements. Treatment with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi) or other antihypertensive medications and non-treatment were evaluated with multivariate logistic regression. Non-treatment was observed in 32.8% of hypertensive individuals. Of the 67.7% treated individuals, 41.1% received RAASi. Non-treatment was associated with alcohol consumption in women (OR=1.41; 95%CI: 1.15-1.73; P=0.001), lowest schooling level in men (OR=1.70; 95%CI: 1.32-2.19; P<0.001), and younger age groups in men and women (strongest association in males aged 35-44 years: OR=4.58, 95%CI: 3.17-6.6, P<0.001). Among those using RAASi, a higher proportion of white, older individuals, and with more comorbidities was observed. The high percentage of non-treatment, even in this civil servant population, indicated the need to improve the treatment cascade for AH. Public health policies should consider giving special attention to gender roles in groups at higher risk of non-treatment to reduce inequities related to AH in Brazil.
Forest restoration is mainly based on plant-soil relationships and plant species with economic potential, but those between insects and other arthropods are also important to this reestablishment. ...The objective was to evaluate, during 24 months, the relationships between tending ants, Hemiptera phytophagous, predators and their distribution pattern (aggregated, random or uniform). The arthropods were sampled, stored and identified and their relationships and distribution patterns calculated with the BioDiversity-Pro software. The number of tending ants and phytophagous Hemiptera, Brachymyrmex sp. and Aethalion reticulatum, Cephalotes and Aleyrodidae were positively correlated. Tending ants were negatively correlated with Sternorrhyncha predators on A. auriculiformis saplings. The distribution of arthropods was aggregated, except for Teudis sp. and Cephalocoema sp., with a random pattern. The herbivores Stereoma anchoralis, Aethalion reticulatum and Tetragonisca angustula and the predators Brachymyrmex sp. and Dolichopodidae were the most abundant arthropods. The relationships between the arthropods studied on A. auriculiformis indicate that this plant, even introduced, is suitable for programs to recover degraded areas in the savannah.
The goal of topical and cutaneous delivery is to deliver therapeutic and other substances to a desired target site in the skin at appropriate doses to achieve a safe and efficacious outcome.
...Normally, however, when the stratum corneum is intact and the skin barrier is uncompromised, this is limited to molecules that are relatively lipophilic, small and uncharged, thereby excluding many potentially useful therapeutic peptides, proteins, vaccines, gene fragments or drug-carrying particles. In this review we will describe how nanosystems are being increasingly exploited for topical and cutaneous delivery, particularly for these previously difficult substances. This is also being driven by the development of novel technologies, which include minimally invasive delivery systems and more precise fabrication techniques. While there is a vast array of nanosystems under development and many undergoing advanced clinical trials, relatively few have achieved full translation to clinical practice. This slow uptake may be due, in part, to the need for a rigorous demonstration of safety in these new nanotechnologies. Some of the safety aspects associated with nanosystems will be considered in this review.
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Dendrimers are versatile hyperbranched molecules, which have deserved attention especially for their potential in many applications, including biological. Peptide dendrimers comprise interesting ...classes of dendrimers, and their use has been emphasized as a drug/bioactive compound delivery system, mostly in the antineoplastic area. The bioactive molecules can be covalently linked or entrapped inside the peptide derivative. Self-assembled nanocarriers are a recent trend in the design of potential delivery systems, and pH-sensitive carriers, one of their methods, have been designed to control their systems. In addition, the use of targeting peptides or other specific groups that direct the drug/bioactive compounds to specific organs is an important trend in the search for better drug delivery systems. Recent examples have been given in the literature, showing that gene delivery as another important peptide dendrimer application. It is worth emphasizing that some peptide dendrimers show activity per se, without bioactive compounds. Immune compounds and vaccines are presented herein, as well as uses of other peptide dendrimers are briefly discussed in this review, which encompasses around 10 years of work.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
•Review on the use of municipal incinerated bottom ashes in several applications.•Applications include geopolymers, adsorbents, ceramics, agriculture, and landfills.•MIBA presents compatibility with ...raw materials of ceramics and geopolymers.•Adequately treated, MIBA can be a low-cost adsorbent for wastewaters and gases.
This paper presents a literature review on the incorporation of municipal solid waste incinerated bottom ash as raw material in several markets, other than those where it is conventionally used, such as geotechnical applications and road pavement construction. The main findings of an ample selection of experimental investigations on the use of the bottom ash as precursor of alkali-activated materials, as an adsorbent material for the removal of hazardous elements from wastewater and landfill gases, as soil replacement in agricultural activities, as partial or complete substitute of raw materials for the manufacture of ceramic-based products, as landfill cover and as biogas production enhancer, were gathered, collated and analysed.
Abstract Sugarcane is one of the largest agricultural commodities when considering the export volume and the number of jobs generated. Sugarcane production in the Brazilian Northeast region is ...generally low due to several factors, including the irregular rainfall distribution, which highlights the importance of studies aimed at mitigating the deleterious effects of water stress. In this scenario, this study aimed to evaluate calcium pyruvate as a water deficit attenuator on the agro-industrial quality of sugarcane in the second cycle of cultivation. The experiment was conducted out under greenhouse conditions of the Federal University of Campina Grande, where five sugarcane commercial genotypes tested (G1- RB863129, G2- RB92579, G3- RB962962, G4- RB021754, and G5- RB041443) and three irrigation management strategies (E1- full irrigation, E2- water deficit with application of 30 mM of calcium pyruvate, and E3- water deficit without calcium pyruvate application), distributed in randomized blocks in 5 × 3 factorial arrangement with three replications. The RB021754 genotype under water deficit and without foliar application of calcium pyruvate increased the fiber content (13.2%) and the sugarcane moist cake weight (143.5 g). The effects of water deficit in sugarcane genotypes are attenuated by the exogenous application of 30 mM of calcium pyruvate, with benefits on the polarized sucrose content, apparent sucrose content of the juice, soluble solids content, purity, corrected cane POL, total recoverable sugars, and stem mass in relation to plants under water deficit without calcium pyruvate application.
Resumo A cana-de-açúcar é uma das maiores commodities agrícolas, quando se considera o volume de exportação e o número de empregos gerados. A produção no Nordeste brasileiro, em geral, é baixa, decorrente de diversos fatores, entre eles, a irregularidade de distribuição das chuvas, o que realça a importância de estudos com vistas a minorar os efeitos deletérios do estresse hídrico. Nesse cenário, objetivou-se avaliar o piruvato de cálcio como atenuante do déficit hídrico sobre a qualidade agroindustrial da cana-de-açúcar no segundo ciclo de cultivo. O experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação da Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, onde foram testados cinco genótipos de cana-de-açúcar (G1- RB863129, G2- RB92579, G3- RB962962, G4- RB021754 e G5- RB041443) submetidos a três estratégias de manejo da irrigação (E1- Irrigação plena, E2- déficit hídrico com aplicação de 30 mM de piruvato de cálcio e E3- déficit hídrico sem aplicação de piruvato de cálcio), distribuídos em blocos casualizados, em esquema fatorial 5 × 3, com três repetições. O genótipo RB021754 sob déficit hídrico e sem aplicação foliar do piruvato de cálcio aumentou o teor de fibra (13,2%) e o peso do bolo úmido da cana (143,5 g). Os efeitos do déficit hídrico em genótipos de cana-de-açúcar são atenuados com aplicação exógena de 30 mM de piruvato de cálcio, com benefícios sobre o teor sacarose polarizada, teor de sacarose aparente do caldo, teor de sólidos solúveis, pureza, pol da cana corrigida, açúcares totais recuperáveis e massa de colmos, em relação as plantas sob déficit hídrico sem aplicação de piruvato de cálcio.
This study presents r.landslide, a free and open source add-on to the open source Geographic Information System (GIS) GRASS software for landslide susceptibility mapping. The tool was written in ...Python language and works on the top of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) fed with environmental parameters and landslide databases. In order to illustrate the application and effectiveness of the developed tool, a case study is presented for the municipality of Porto Alegre, Brazil. The resulting landslide susceptibility maps are compared with the map published by the Brazilian Geological Survey (CPRM) and a direct comparison using unseen (new) landslide records indicate that the r.landslide can identify and pinpoint susceptible areas with better accuracy. The module can be used by natural disaster management bodies and land use planning organs as a support tool for the elaboration of landslide susceptibility maps in an agile and efficient manner.
•Landslide susceptibility maps are generated on the basis of a data-driven approach.•The module has a user-friendly interface and is fully integrated with GRASS GIS.•The module can be used as a support tool for landslide susceptibility assessment.
Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (Malpighiales: Caryocaraceae) trees are widely distributed throughout the Cerrado ecosystem. The fruits of C. brasiliense trees are used by humans for food and as the main ...income source in many communities. C. brasiliense conservation is seriously threatened due to habitat loss caused by the land-use change. Sucking insects constitute an important ecological driver that potentially impact C. brasiliense survival in degraded environments. In addition, insects sampling methodologies for application in studies related to the conservation of C. brasiliense are poorly developed. In this study, sucking insects (Hemiptera) and their predators were recorded in three vertical strata of Caryocar brasiliense canopies. The distribution of sucking species showed vertical stratification along the canopy structure of C. brasiliense. The basal part of the canopy had the highest numbers of sucking insects Aphis gossypii (Glover 1877) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Bemisia tabaci (Genn. 1889) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), and their predators Chrysoperla sp. (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), spiders (Araneae), and Zelus armillatus (Lep. & Servi., 1825) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Predators' distribution follows the resource availability and preferred C. brasiliense tree parts with a higher abundance of prey.