Weight-length relationship, condition factor and blood parameters of farmed Cichla temensis Humboldt, 1821 (Cichlidae) in central Amazon.

Farming of native carnivore fish species has drawn attention due to their promising use in aquaculture. Among these species, tucunaré of the genus Cichla stand out, them being of high economical interest for sport fishing and Amazon's industry of ornamental fish. The present study describes the weight-length relationship (WLR), relative condition factor (Kn), red blood cell parameters, thrombocytes and leukocytes count of Cichla temensis Humboldt, 1821, farmed in central Amazon. Fish that underwent food training during fingerling culture received extruded ration containing 45% of crude protein during fattening, and had Kn with values from 0.925-1.199, which indicated good health condition during the culture. The equation obtained from the WLR was W = 0.0073Lt3.1435, indicating an isometric growth, which is the desirable for fish of fish farm. Red blood cell counts, total thrombocyte and leukocyte counts, hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), concentration of mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCHC), lymphocytes, monocytes and neutrophils had intra-specific variation. A significant (p<0.001) positive correlation of the red blood cells number with the hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit was found. These are the first sets of blood parameters for C. temensis and could be used as reference for comparison in further studies to evaluate the health status of this fish in different environments, because assessment of these parameters may be used as quick tool for diagnosing diseases, stress and malnutrition

The Evolution of Professional Nursing Culture in Italy: Metaphors and Paradoxes

We explored the perceptions of Italian nurses regarding their developing culture as a health profession. We sought to understand the ongoing evolution of the nursing profession and the changes that were central to it becoming an intellectual discipline on par with the other health professions in Italy. In 2010, the Regulatory Board of Nursing established a center of excellence to build evidence-based practice, advocate for interdisciplinary health care, and champion health profession reforms for nursing. In this study, focus groups—involving 66 nurse participants from various educational, clinical, and administrative backgrounds—were utilized to better ascertain how the profession has changed. Six themes, three of them metaphors—“vortex,” “leopard spots,” and “deductive jungle”—explain nurses’ experiences of professional change in Italy between 2001 and 2011 and the multiple dimensions that characterize their professional identity and autonomy

Identification of naturalized goat breeds under conservation from northeastern Brazil using chromosomal markers.

Abstract: In order to provide the first cytogenetic data of naturalized and threatened goat breeds from northeastern Brazil, cytogenetic analyses were carried out in individuals of Repartida and Moxotó breeds raised in Bahia and Ceará States. Males and females of both breeds had 2n = 60, with 29 autosomal acrocentric pairs plus the sex chromosome pair. The number of nucleolar organizer region (NOR)-bearing chromosomes ranged from 6 to 8 per metaphase in Moxotó and Repartida goats, respectively. The active NORs in Repartida individuals were located exclusively at the terminal regions of the long arms, as usually detected in Bovidae. Otherwise, Moxotó specimens presented a large autosomal pair with NORs on short arms. GC-rich heterochromatin was detected at the centromeres in both breeds, although polymorphic terminal C-bands were visualized on pair 25 in Moxotó. In addition, GC-rich regions were detected at the terminal regions of the long arms of a single pair in Repartida and of 20 chromosomes in Moxotó goats. The differences in both the number and/or position of Ag-NORs and GC-rich sites between Repartida and Moxotó breeds represent efficient cytogenetic markers that can be used in the identification and conservation of the genetic integrity of each lineage. In spite of the small effective population size of these breeds, chromosomal abnormalities related to drift or inbreeding effects were absent in the samples analyzed

The Effects of Cofermentation of Cider and Apple Pomace on Cider Attributes

Phenolics are critical to the sensory attributes and health benefits of hard cider due to their contribution to the flavor, mouthfeel, and antioxidant activity. With the increase in demand for cider, the use of dessert apple varieties has become more common leaving ciders lacking in phenolics. However, a promising method to increase their phenolic content is through maceration with apple pomace. This study evaluated the effect maceration with apple pomace during cider fermentation on the extraction of phenolic compounds, as well as its effect on the sensory properties of the final product. For this study, ciders were fermented with 0% (control), 20%, 35%, and 50% of the average pomace created during production of the apple must. After fermentation, the ciders were analyzed for acid content, total phenolic content (TPC), alcohol by volume (ABV), color, volatile profile, and sensory properties. The ciders fermented with apple pomace went through malolactic fermentation. During the maceration phenolics were extracted which resulted in an increase in phenolic content in cider. Compared to the control, the treatment ciders were also seen to have higher ABV and TPC, lower acidity, and a different aromatic profile: decreased acetaldehyde and increased ethyl acetate, isoamyl alcohol, and phenylethyl alcohol. The color measurements suggests that treatment ciders were lighter, with a higher red and yellow color compared to the control cider. The sensory analysis revealed the treatment ciders were perceived as less acidic and astringent, but more bitter than the controls. This study shows the addition of apple pomace in its native state increases total phenolic content and could be favorable to produce well rounded ciders. This study shows maceration is a promising technique for increasing phenolic content in ciders

Crescimento inicial de mudas de Aspidosperma pyrifolium irrigadas com água com diferentes níveis de salinidade.

O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da salinidade no crescimento inicial de mudas de Aspidosperma pyrifolium.Edição dos Resumos do V Workshop de Tecnologia e Fisiologia de Sementes e Mudas, Petrolina, dez. 2014

Efeito do armazenamento em diferentes ambientes e embalagens na germinação de sementes de Aroeira-do-Sertão.

Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar o comportamento fisiológico das sementes de aroeira-do-sertão (Myracrodruon urundeuva Allemão) armazenadas em diferentes embalagens e ambientes.Edição dos Resumos do V Workshop de Tecnologia e Fisiologia de Sementes e Mudas, Petrolina, dez. 2014

Desenvolvimento de mudas de pereiro (Aspidosperma pyrifolium Mart.) irrigadas com água salobra e biossalina

Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar o desenvolvimento de mudas de Aspidosperma pyrifolium Mart. sob diferentes níveis de salinidade da irrigação.Edição dos Resumos do V Workshop de Tecnologia e Fisiologia de Sementes e Mudas, Petrolina, dez. 2014

Performance evaluation of a compression algorithm for wireless sensor networks in monitoring applications

Wireless sensor network (WSN) is an emerging technology that targets multiple applications in the different environments. Its infrastructure is composed of a large number of sensor nodes with a limited physical capacity and low cost. The energy consumption must be as optimized as possible in order to extend its lifetime. The use of data compression techniques can be an advantage in the WSN context, once these techniques eliminate transmission of redundant information and consequently can be adopted to minimize the consumption of energy in the sensor nodes. WSN for monitoring applications can benefit from this technique as it may maximize the lifetime of batteries. The main motivation of this paper is to investigate the performance of a data compression algorithm for WSN in the context of monitoring applications. To validate the proposal, simulation experiments have been performed using the Network Simulator (NS-2) tool

The psychometric properties of the subscales of the GHQ-28 in a multi-ethnic maternal sample: results from the Born in Bradford cohort

Background: Poor maternal mental health can impact on children’s development and wellbeing; however, there is concern about the comparability of screening instruments administered to women of diverse ethnic origin. Methods: We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to examine the subscale structure of the GHQ-28 in an ethnically diverse community cohort of pregnant women in the UK (N = 5,089). We defined five groups according to ethnicity and language of administration, and also conducted a CFA between four groups of 1,095 women who completed the GHQ-28 both during and after pregnancy. Results: After item reduction, 17 of the 28 items were considered to relate to the same four underlying concepts in each group; however, there was variation in the response to individual items by women of different ethnic origin and this rendered between group comparisons problematic. The EFA revealed that these measurement difficulties might be related to variation in the underlying concepts being measured by the factors. Conclusions: We found little evidence to recommend the use of the GHQ-28 subscales in routine clinical or epidemiological assessment of maternal women in populations of diverse ethnicity