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Agricultural management using technologies that help farmers increase productivity and reduce production costs must be promoted to ensure agricultural sustainability. The objective of the study was to achieve the pH effect of growth solution, chemical treatment, use of osmoprotector additive and mineral nitrate presence, on the activity of growth promoting bacteria, Azospirillum brasilense, and its effects on the physiological quality of seeds and wheat seedling growth. The first experiment evaluated the physiological quality of seeds and the second experiment was divided into four, evaluating the growth of wheat seedling in a hydroponic system. The experiments were prolonged in a very randomized design, with four replications. The physiological quality of the seeds was evaluated by germination tests, first germination count, length of the shoot and root and dry mass of the shoot and root. Initial growth was evaluated by quantifying the dry mass of the leaf shoot and root and the root system intervals. The pH of the solution and the presence of nitrogen did not influence the effects of inoculation of the A. brasilense bacteria. With the use of chemical treatment and osmoprotective additive, A. brasilense had no effect on the growth of wheat seedlings.

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Macrobenthic organisms are useful bioindicators to assess ecological quality status. On the south-central coast of Peru (13°15.15'S, 76°18.5'W), a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) marine terminal has been operating since 2010. We investigated the macrobenthic communities and sediment parameters from 2011 to 2020 to evaluate the ecological quality status in the surrounding area of the marine terminal, using the AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) and its multivariate version (M-AMBI). We analyzed the diversity and community composition of macrobenthic invertebrates and the physico-chemical parameters of the sediment from 29 sampling sites, ranging from 0 to 15m depth. The sampling design considered: the direct influence zone ("DIZ", surroundings of the marine terminal), and northern (NCZ) and southern (SCZ) control zones. Our results indicated that abundance was high at SCZ and decreased with depth. Species richness and diversity were high at DIZ and NCZ, respectively, and increased up to 10m but dropped at 15m. High sand content was recorded in shallow depths, while in deeper areas and DIZ, mud and organic matter increased and redox potential was negative. AMBI indicated a "slightly disturbed" status in general, while M-AMBI indicated "good" or "moderate" status at depths ≤ 12m, and "poor" status at 15m. Overall, the season/year factor was not important, and variables were mostly significantly different across depths. Redox potential and organic matter were correlated with M-AMBI at 15m. In general, our results indicate an acceptable ecological quality surrounding the marine terminal, likely because the study area is not influenced by an important input of an anthropogenic stressor. This study highlights the importance of monitoring benthic communities in the surroundings of human-made structures and the use of ecological quality indices for understanding potential impacts.

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Current farm systems rely on the use of Plant Protection Products (PPP) to secure high productivity and control threats to the quality of the crops. However, PPP use may have considerable impacts on human health and the environment. A study protocol is presented aiming to determine the occurrence and levels of PPP residues in plants (crops), animals (livestock), humans and other non-target species (ecosystem representatives) for exposure modelling and impact assessment. To achieve this, we designed a cross-sectional study to compare conventional and organic farm systems across Europe. Environmental and biological samples were/are being/will be collected during the 2021 growing season, at 10 case study sites in Europe covering a range of climate zones and crops. An additional study site in Argentina will inform the impact of PPP use on growing soybean which is an important European protein-source in animal feed. We will study the impact of PPP mixtures using an integrated risk assessment methodology. The fate of PPP in environmental media (soil, water and air) and in the homes of farmers will be monitored. This will be complemented by biomonitoring to estimate PPP uptake by humans and farm animals (cow, goat, sheep and chicken), and by collection of samples from non-target species (earthworms, fish, aquatic and terrestrial macroinvertebrates, bats, and farm cats). We will use data on PPP residues in environmental and biological matrices to estimate exposures by modelling. These exposure estimates together with health and toxicity data will be used to predict the impact of PPP use on environment, plant, animal and human health. The outcome of this study will then be integrated with socio-economic information leading to an overall assessment used to identify transition pathways towards more sustainable plant protection and inform decision makers, practitioners and other stakeholders regarding farming practices and land use policy.

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Fisheries encompass complex interplays between social, economic, and environmental factors, but limitations on historical fisheries data can hamper efforts to identify and contextualize the long-term spatiotemporal patterns that shape them. We integrate 2500 years of stable isotope (δ34S, δ13C, and δ15N) and zooarchaeological evidence from Gulf of Mexico fisheries to assess cultural, demographic, and technological changes affecting sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) populations and fishing practices in Louisiana, USA. Concurrent with human population growth, average sizes of sheepshead caught decreased from the 1720s to 1830s. The size of fish caught after the 1830s increased to pre-1720 levels at the same time that isotopic compositions of fish bone collagen show that fish were being caught from a more diverse range of ecosystems, including distant seagrass beds. Our findings provide the first evidence for large-scale depressions of historical sheepshead populations and the processes driving them, including rapid human population growth and sustained harvesting pressure.

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PURPOSE: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a disease with bad prognosis. It is usually diagnosed at advanced stages and its treatment is complex. The aim of this consensus document was to provide recommendations by experts that would ameliorate PC diagnosis, reduce the time to treatment, and optimize PC management by interdisciplinary teams. METHODS: As a consensus method, we followed the modified Delphi methodology. A scientific committee of experts provided 40 statements that were submitted in two rounds to a panel of 87 specialists of 12 scientific societies. RESULTS: Agreement was reached for 39 of the 40 proposed statements (97.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Although a screening of the asymptomatic population is not a feasible option, special attention to potential symptoms during primary care could ameliorate early diagnostic. It is especially important to decrease the period until diagnostic tests are performed. This consensus could improve survival in PC patients by decreasing the time to diagnose and time to treatment and by the implementation of multidisciplinary teams.

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Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the biochemistry of the cell and occur in degenerative processes as well as in signal transduction. Iron-sulfur proteins are particularly oxygen-sensitive and their inorganic cofactors frequently undergo ROS-induced decomposition reactions. As experimental knowledge about these processes is still incomplete we present here a quantum chemical study of the relative energetics for the binding of the most relevant ROS to [Fe4S4] clusters. We find that cubane clusters with one uncoordinated Fe atom (as found, for instance, in aconitase) bind all oxygen derivatives considered, whereas activation of triplet O2 to singlet O2 is required for binding to valence-saturated iron centers in these clusters. The radicals NO and OH feature the most exothermic binding energies to Fe atoms. Direct sulfoxidation of coordinating cysteine residues is only possible by OH or H2O2 as attacking agents. The thermodynamic picture of ROS binding to iron-sulfur clusters established here can serve as a starting point for studying reactivity-modulating effects of the cluster-embedding protein environment on ROS-induced decomposition of iron-sulfur proteins.

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Genetic mutations have been identified as the cause of inherited cancer risk in some colon cancer; these mutations are estimated to account for only 5-6 % of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases overall. Up to 25-30 % of patients have a family history of CRC that suggests a hereditary component, common exposures among family members, or a combination of both. Cancers in people with a hereditary predisposition typically occur at an earlier age than in sporadic cases. A predisposition to CRC may include a predisposition to other cancers, such as endometrial cancer. We describe genetics, current diagnosis and management of CRC hereditary syndromes pointing to a multidisciplinary approach to achieve the best results in patients and family outcomes.

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O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as características bromatológicas e agronômicas dos genótipos de milho para a produção de silagem dos cultivares do Ensaio Centro Superprecoce da Rede Nacional de Genótipos de Milho, bem como avaliar se a base genética (híbridos simples, duplos, tripos, intervarietais e variedades cultivadas) ou a dureza dos grãos (duro, semiduro e dentado mole) alteram a indicação de cultivares de milho para silagem. O experimento foi realizado na área experimental da Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (campus Dois Vizinhos). Os trinta e dois genótipos avaliados foram colhidos quando os grãos encontravam-se no estádio pastoso a farináceo, ensilados em microssilos de PVC e desensilados após 53 dias. Avaliou-se a relação entre as bases genéticas, a dureza do grão e as características individuais dos genótipos quanto à aptidão para a produção de silagem. Não se verificaram diferenças significativas entre os contrastes formados entre as bases genéticas, bem como a dureza dos grãos, para os caracteres estudados. Porém, foi possível identificar genótipos superiores para a produção de silagem pela produção de matéria seca pelos genótipos AS 1555 YG, AS 1572 YG, 30A37, 30A77, 20A78, Dx 908, Dx 603, 2A550, 2B433, AL2007A, Embrapa 1F640, PRE 22T10, PREXT0109, PRE 22D11, DKB330 YG (Test).

The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritive value and agronomic characteristics of maize genotypes for the silage production cultivars test center network of Super Early National Corn Genotypes; and to assess whether the genetic background (hybrids simple, doubles, triples, intervarieties and cultivated varieties) or the hardness of the grains (hard, soft flint and dent) may change the indication of maize cultivars for silage. The experiment was conducted at the experimental Federal Technological University of Paraná (Campus Dois Vizinhos). Thirty-two genotypes were harvested when the grains were in the dough soft dough stage, micro-ensiled in PVC silos, silage cutters and after 53 days after silage cutters. We evaluated the characteristics and chemical plant parameters of each genotype. We evaluated the relationship between genetic bases, hardness of the grain and individual characteristics of genotypes related to the production of corn silage. There was no significant difference between the contrast formed between the genetic and hardness of the grains for the characteristics studied. However, it was possible to identify superior genotypes for the production of silage whit bases in dry matter production by genotype YG AS 1555, AS 1572 YG, 30A37, 30A77, 20A78, DX 908, DX 603, 2A550, 2B433, AL2007A, EMBRAPA 1F640, PRE 22T10, PREXT0109, PRE 22D11, DKB330 YG (Test).

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