Search

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T01:05:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-10-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) This study aims at investigating the effects of foliar application of aqueous solutions of La3+ and Ce3+ nitrates on soybean plants (Glycine max). First, we observe that Triton HW 1000 surfactant at 0.01 vol% reduces droplets contact angle and increases their drying time. Under greenhouse conditions, the foliar treatments do not affect chlorophyll content, plant height, number of leaves, number of pods, number of seeds per pod, and average seed weight. However, the treatments induce phytotoxicity since foliar injuries appear after the spraying. Microprobe X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy combined to scanning electron microscopy shows that the leaf lesions are positively correlated to accumulation of Ce and La on the leaf surface and also promote structural alteration to the epidermal cells. X-ray absorption near edge structure shows that the La and Ce nitrates are partially bio transformed into oxides by the leaves which might explain the harmful effects. Laboratory of Nuclear Instrumentation (LIN) Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture (CENA) University of São Paulo (USP) Environmental Studies Center São Paulo State University (UNESP) Environmental Studies Center São Paulo State University (UNESP) FAPESP: 2015-19121-8 CNPq: 407380/2016-7

This study evaluated the uptake and translocation of cerium nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) and soluble Ce(NO3)3 by soybean plants (Glycine max L. Merrill) under the whole plant life-cycle and relevant environmental concentrations, 0.062 and 0.933 mg kg−1, which represent maximal values for 2017 in agricultural soils and sludge treated soils, respectively. The experiments were carried out using a nutrient solution. Cerium was detected in the soybean roots epidermis and cortex, leaves, and grains, but it neither impaired plant development nor grain yield. The concentration of Ce in the shoot increased as a function of time for plants treated with Ce(NO3)3, while it remained constant for plants treated with CeO2 NPs. It means that CeO2 NPs were absorbed in the same rate as biomass production, which suggests that they are taken up and transported by water mass flow. Single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry revealed clusters of CeO2 NPs in leaves of plants treated with 25 nm CeO2 NPs (ca. 30–45 nm). The reprecipitation of soluble cerium from Ce(NO3)3 within the plant was not confirmed. Finally, bioconcentration factors above one were found for the lowest concentrated treatments. Since soybean is a widespread source of protein for animals, we draw attention to the importance of evaluating the effects of Ce entrance in the food chain and its possible biomagnification.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using a whey-assisted sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy analysis revealed a wurtzite crystalline structure for ZnO nanoparticles with no impurities present. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), (XRD) observations, and UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy results showed that with an increase in calcination temperature from 400 to 1000 °C, the size of nanoparticles increases from 18.3 to 88.6 nm, while their optical band gap energy decreases to ~3.25 eV. The whey-assisted sol-gel method proved to be highly efficient for the synthesis of crystalline ZnO nanoparticles whose applications are of great interest in material science technology.

Objective The aim of this study was to describe the evolution in anesthetic technique used for the first 200 patients undergoing robotic mitral valve surgery. Design A retrospective review. Setting A single tertiary referral academic hospital. Participants Two hundred consecutive patients undergoing robotic mitral valve surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) at Mayo Clinic Rochester. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results After obtaining institutional review board approval, surgical and anesthetic data were recorded. For analysis, patients were placed in 4 groups, each containing 50 consecutive patients, labeled Quartiles 1 to 4. Over time, there were statistically significant decreases in cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp times. Significant differences in the anesthetic management were shown, with a reduction of intraoperative fentanyl and midazolam doses, and the introduction of paravertebral blockade in Quartile 2. There was a reduction of time between incision closure and extubation, and nearly 90% of patients were extubated in the operating room in Quartiles 3 and 4. Despite changes to the intraoperative analgesic management, and focus on earlier extubation, there were no differences seen in visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores over the 4 quartiles. Reductions were seen in total intensive care unit and hospital length of stay during the study period. Conclusions Changes to the practice, including efforts to limit intraoperative opioid administration and the addition of preoperative paravertebral blockade, helped facilitate earlier extubation. In the second half of the study period, close to 90% of patients were extubated in the operating room safely and without delaying patient transition to the intensive care unit.