Thoracic aorta thickness and histological changes with aging: an experimental rat model

The three main components of the media layer of the aorta are elastic fibers,collagen fibers and smooth muscle cells(SMC).[1]This layer’s elastic properties are major determinants of its biomechanics in health and disease states.[2,3]Age-related changes in such elastic properties are associated with altered hemodynamic parameters,such as systolic hypertension,[4,5]and end-organ damage,[6,7]and are thought to result from changes of its main components.

Nutrient Accumulation in Amaryllis

Amaryllis plants (Hippeastrum hybrid, in the family Amaryllidaceae) are cultivated in Brazil mainly for bulb export. Studies about the nutrient accumulation dynamics by the species are yet incipient when considering Brazilian cultivation conditions. The objective was to determine the nutrient accumulation in amaryllis “Orange Souvereign” cultivated in the field. The experimental design was entirely randomized with four replications and 14 collection periods (at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300, 330, 360, 390, and 420 days after planting). Sampled plants were divided into leaves, bulb, and roots, which were used for determination of nutrient accumulation by leaves (aerial part) and bulb + roots (underground part). Nutrient accumulation of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn was calculated for each collection period, and then represented by curves of macro and micronutrient accumulation, as well as accumulation percentages for each plant part. For most macro and micronutrients, the interval of maximum accumulation fell from 301 to 420 days after planting, matching with the cycle final stage of plants cultivated in the field. Accumulated macronutrients by amaryllis plants along the cultivation cycle was, in g·plant-1: 1.57 N;0.19 P;2.58 K;0.64 Ca;0.20 Mg;and 0.29 S, following the descending order: K > N > Ca > S > Mg > P. Accumulated micronutrients, in mg·plant-1, was: 2.18 B;1.17 Cu;22.33 Fe;2.19 Mn;and 4.09 Zn, following the descending order: Fe > Zn > Mn > B > Cu.

Perspective on the use of synthetic biology in rudimentary food fermentations

Rudimentary food fermentation can be defined as a spontaneous process of conversion of food components through enzy-matic action.A great variety of fermented foods are produced using spontaneous approaches;however,cocoa and coffee represent the most important agricultural commodities on international markets.As a manner to increase the efficiency of these processes,starter cultures have been developed and applied under field conditions.The selection process begins with the recovery of microbial strains from spontaneous fermentation through phenotypic and metabolic traits.Next,mutation-based breeding is used to develop and improve well-adapted starter cultures.With advances in synthetic biology,especially in the last decade,the development of robust cellular fabrications with high fermentative capacity has become easier-largely due to the development of genomic approaches,such as next-generation sequencing techniques,CRISPR-Cas system and bioinformatics tools.This review brings prospects on the use of synthetic biology to design new robust strains for use in cocoa and coffee fermentations,but which can be extended to other rudimentary foods.In addition,metabolic traits and target genes(e.g.,UvrA,RecA,GPD1,and GPP2)are proposed as a starting point for the improvement of cocoa and coffee starters.Finally,the regulatory and safety requirements for these food crops are addressed.This review aims to stimulate research on the process of fermentation and the associated synthetic biology tools to produce fermented food efficiently and sustainably.

Hydraulic energy indices reveal spatial dependence in a subtropical soil under maize crop in Southern Brazil

Soil physical quality(SPQ)assessment is an important part in the evaluation of soil use,management,and conservation.It can be assessed using several physical properties,hydraulic indices,and functions.Soils from tropical and temperate regions represent different physical behaviors,and the quantification of their physical properties is important to support soil evaluation and modelling.The objective of this study was to evaluate the SPQ in a subtropical field under maize crop cultivation according to its physical properties,hydraulic indices,and functions in an attempt to infer the spatial variability and to determine the behavior of soil physical structure across a spatial domain.Commonly used soil key physical variables,such as texture,bulk density,total porosity,saturated hydraulic conductivity,and organic carbon content,were measured in a regular grid with a soil sampling density of 30 points per hectare,covering an area of0.5 ha.Saturated hydraulic conductivity varied strongly between subsamples and in the field,suggesting the heterogeneity of the soil structure regarding water drainage.The physical variables were combined with other indicators,which were based on the soil water retention curve and the pore size distribution(PSD)function.Correlation analysis was performed to verify the relationship between the measured and calculated variables,and some strong linear correlations were revealed,such as between aeration energy index and microporosity(r=0.608)and water retention energy index with microporosity(r=0.532)and with bulk density(r=0.541).For most sampled locations,the shape and location parameters of PSD showed results outside of the optimum ranges,whereas the hydraulic energy indices and cumulative hydraulic energy functions presented values that were similar to those found for some tropical soils described in the literature.The spatial variability of these indices was described using semivariograms and kriged maps,indicating the variability of the SPQ in this field.