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This paper intends to reflect on the most appropriate means to enhance human security under the multiplication of new security risks, asking whether the responsibility should be attributed to the military or the civil protection forces and discussing the challenges that both agencies’ operations raise. We argue that civil protection forces’ role should be reinforced (and their resources, capabilities and readiness improved) to protect human security under risk materialization (which also meets United Nations Oslo Guidelines). In order to support this claim, we will explore: first, the intentions (and opportunities and challenges) of the military in co-opting new security risks into their agenda, as well as (argue for and) intervening as the key actor in foreign interventions; second, how the divide between internal and external security curtails military action abroad in new threats and risks and demonstrates its inadequacy (even with dual-purpose/dual-use equipment); third, how new threats and (particularly) risks make civil protection forces more useful in foreign interventions than the military. Resorting to the Idai cyclone in Mozambique and Portugal’s response to it, we will briefly explore issues arising from the deployment of the military in a scenario on natural disasters. In short, we claim that, civil protection forces’ frequently offer a better contribution to human security crises than the military.

Este artigo objetiva apresentar uma ponte conceitual, prática e metodológica entre a Base Nacional Comum Curricular (BNCC) do Ensino Fundamental e os 1º e 2º Segmentos da Educação de Jovens e Adultos (EJA). Por meio de uma revisão bibliográfica e da revisitação do currículo da EJA, realizado no âmbito da Diretoria de Educação de Jovens e Adultos, da Secretaria de Estado de Educação do Distrito Federal, construiu-se um referencial articulado às etapas da Educação Básica, suas aprendizagens essenciais nos componentes curriculares da BNCC e às especificidades da escolarização dos sujeitos que compõem a EJA. Apresentam-se possibilidades para uma construção curricular dialógica, propositiva e ressignificada das prescrições da BNCC - Ensino Fundamental para a EJA.

In this article, we will look into the relationship between the Portuguese communities abroad and the Portuguese state (i.e., the country of origin). Considering foreign policy (FP) specifically and the relationship between its structure and existing migration flows, we seek to analyse the role of Portuguese communities on the FP of the country of origin. That is, understand the relationship 'home state-expatriates' under the state's point of view, as Portuguese communities are a prime element in Portuguese FP and assesses the various policies to promote and strengthen these ties with the Portuguese diaspora around the world. The text is structured as it follows: firstly, a brief theoretical and conceptual framework; secondly, we will evaluate whether the policies for Portuguese communities appear to display party-political cleavages (whether there are significant differences between the proposals presented by governments composed of different political groups); at the end, we will offer some suggestions for a possible strengthening of relations with the Portuguese communities, while at the same time we explore both the advantages and the risks of such a choice of policy.

Este trabalho procura providenciar uma visão abrangente dos períodos, fases, etapas, que marcaram de forma significativa as relações entre Portugal e suas ex-colónias, entre a descolonização e a institucionalização da CPLP. Identificaremos continuidades ou rupturas, atores e eventos, e conceitos que marcaram o contexto da criação e surgimento da CPLP. This paper seeks to provide a comprehensive view of periods, stages, steps that marked significantly the relations between Portugal and its former colonies, amid decolonization and institutionalization of CPLP. It identifies continuities and ruptures, actors and events, and concepts that marked the context of the creation and emergence of CPLP.

This paper seeks to provide a comprehensive view of periods, stages, steps that marked significantly the relations between Portugal and its former colonies, amid decolonization and institutionalization of CPLP. It identifies continuities and ruptures, actors and events, and concepts that marked the context of the creation and emergence of CPLP.

El cuidado materno es un conjunto de acciones que permiten el crecimiento y desarrollo saludable del niño. El objetivo fue identificar los cuidados maternos proporcionados al niño en el ambiente domiciliar y las dificultades que ellas encontraron en la clínica médica. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo, con análisis cualitativo. El estudio se realizó en una Unidad Básica de Salud Familiar en la ciudad de Fortaleza-CE, en 2009. Se llevó a cabo una entrevista semiestructurada realizada con 12 madres. Sus pláticas fueron analizadas y organizadas en tablas vinculadas al tema. Se observó que la mayoría de las madres hizo uso de medicinas antes de buscar atención médica. Como medidas preventivas, se manifestó preocupación con alimentos y con el hogar. Pero en relación a las dificultadas se indicaron la atención, la accesibilidad y las medicinas disponibles. Por lo tanto, se observó que las madres buscan una solución ante la enfermedad de su hijo, empleando recursos que podrán agravar la salud del niño.

A longevidade do sobreiro e a capacidade que a cortiça amadia tem de crescer construindo camadas anuais extremamente bem individualizáveis permitiu criar a hipótese de correlação entre as marcas químicas deixadas em cada camada de crescimento e as características ambientais do local onde o sobreiro vegeta. Isto permitiria a construção de séries de novénios de distribuição espacial e temporal da característica que se pretenda estudar. Há nisto algumas semelhanças com abordagens dendrométricas, sendo que estas tendem a ser muito mais agressivas. Foi objectivo deste trabalho que numa fase inicial do estudo se procedesse à criação de uma maneira credível de fazer a quantificação de chumbo (II) no felema da cortiça recorrendo a uma técnica de análise química nunca antes utilizada para este efeito – a voltametria. A escolha deste método da análise química moderna resulta do conhecimento das vantagens competitivas que tem sobre outros, quando aquele é aplicável, como se demonstra ser o caso. A metodologia utilizada começou por exigir a recolha de uma porção de cortiça de um sobreiro escolhido ao acaso, de maneira a encontrar o material cortiça como se encontra na árvore. No momento não se consideram possíveis correlações biogeográficas mas tão somente o material propriamente dito. Tendo sido possível fazer a quantificação indicada, estão em curso os estudos necessários à verificação da hipótese que dá o mote a este trabalho de investigação centrado no sobreiro do montado e do sobreiral, sendo que a principal conclusão a retirar é que a possibilidade de utilização do sobreiro como indicador da qualidade ambiental do local, neste caso quanto ao teor em Pb(II), é mais um serviço prestável (pelo ecossistema que orbita em torno do sobreiro) às populações humanas da área da bacia mediterrânica ocidental. O futuro uso da voltametria como forma de, determinando a concentração do metal em causa em cada camada da cortiça de sobreiros dispersos na área onde vegetam, poder obter-se uma estimativa dos teores médios desses metais nos locais frequentemente caracterizados pela presença daquela árvore, poderá vir a ser muito interessante para um conhecimento mais profundo desta realidade.The long term life of cork oak and the capacity that “amadia” cork has to build annual layers (highly separable) allowed to create the hypothesis of correlation between the chemical marks made in each growing layer and the environmental characteristics of the place where the cork oak grows. This would allow to build space and time distribution series every nine years, about the characteristic in study. This is somewhat alike some dendrometric procedures, but these ones are much more aggressive. The objective of this work was to study lead (II) in cork by voltammetry, because this method is well recognized as having competitive vantages over other known methods already used. The methodology adopted was: bark extraction, acid-hot digestion in closed recipient and voltammetric analytical signal search. The main conclusion is the possible association of this technique as another socioenvironmental service that “montado” can provide, in order to evaluate the quality of mediterranean basin continental areas with cork oak tree, regarding lead contamination.

Copyright of Relaciones Internacionales (1699-3950) is the property of Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain, International Relations Studies Group (GERI) Law Faculty and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Relações Internacionais is the property of Relacoes Internacionais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

White mold (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) of leguminous crops in New York is generally managed with preventive applications of fungicides. However, no research has been conducted during the last decade to assess the sensitivity of the S. sclerotiorum population to fungicides or compare their performance under field conditions. The sensitivity of S. sclerotiorum to boscalid, fluazinam, and thiophanate-methyl was assessed in 151 isolates from 15 fields across New York using an agar dilution method with discriminatory concentrations. In addition, the effective concentration at which mycelial growth is reduced by 50% (EC50) was estimated for one representative isolate from each field. The efficacy of commercial formulations of each fungicide on white mold incidence in plants and pods was also tested in two field trials (2015 and 2016). The EC50 values ranged from 0.068 to 0.219, 0.001 to 0.002, and 1.23 to 2.15 µg/ml for boscalid, fluazinam, and thiophanate-methyl, respectively. Evidence of resistance was not found using the discriminatory concentration tests. The mycelial growth inhibition relative to the control ranged from 56 to 83%, 66 to 84%, and 53 to 83% at discriminatory concentrations of boscalid (5 µg a.i./ml), fluazinam (0.05 µg a.i./ml), and thiophanate-methyl (5 µg a.i./ml), respectively. Fourteen isolates with mycelial growth inhibition lower than 60% at 5 µg/ml of thiophanate-methyl, did not exhibit point mutations within a partial sequence of the β-tubulin gene. In the field trials, fungicides effectively reduced white mold incidence on plants by 75% (2015) and 93% (2016) and on pods by 81% (2015) and 87% (2016), both relative to the nontreated plots. However, fungicide applications led to significant increases in pod yield, relative to the nontreated plots, only in 2015 when the incidence of white mold on plants and pods were higher (85 and 49.2%) than in 2016 (31.3 and 10.3%). Although fungicide resistance was not detected, and thus control failures reported by New York snap bean growers may be due to other factors, further monitoring of sensitivity within the S. sclerotiorum population is encouraged as well as the use of rational systems to base their judicious and economic use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White mould ( Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) is a destructive disease of soybean worldwide. However, little is known of its impact on soybean production in Brazil. A meta-analytic approach was used to assess the relationship between disease incidence and soybean yield (35 trials) and between incidence and sclerotia production (29 trials) in experiments conducted in 14 locations across four seasons. Region, site elevation and season included as moderators in random-effects and random-coefficients models did not significantly explain the variability in the slopes of the incidence-yield relationship. The Pearson's r, obtained from back-transforming the Fisher's Z estimated by an overall random-effects model, showed that incidence of white mould was moderately and negatively correlated with yield ( r = −0.76, P < 0.0001). A random-coefficients model estimated a slope of −17.2 kg ha−1%−1, for a mean attainable yield of 3455 kg ha−1, indicating that a 10% increase in white mould incidence would result in a mean yield reduction of 172 kg ha−1. White mould incidence and production of sclerotia were strongly and positively correlated ( r = 0.85, P < 0.0001). For every 10% increase in white mould incidence, 1 kg ha−1 of sclerotia was produced. The relationship between disease incidence and production of sclerotia was stronger in southern regions and at higher elevation. In the absence of management, economic losses associated with white mould epidemics, assuming 43% incidence in 22% of the soybean area, were estimated at approximately US $1.47 billion annually within Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we will look into the relationship between the Portuguese communities abroad and the Portuguese state (i.e., the country of origin). Considering foreign policy (FP) specifically and the relationship between its structure and existing migration flows, we seek to analyse the role of Portuguese communities on the FP of the country of origin. That is, understand the relationship 'home state-expatriates' under the state's point of view, as Portuguese communities are a prime element in Portuguese FP and assesses the various policies to promote and strengthen these ties with the Portuguese diaspora around the world. The text is structured as it follows: firstly, a brief theoretical and conceptual framework; secondly, we will evaluate whether the policies for Portuguese communities appear to display party-political cleavages (whether there are significant differences between the proposals presented by governments composed of different political groups); at the end, we will offer some suggestions for a possible strengthening of relations with the Portuguese communities, while at the same time we explore both the advantages and the risks of such a choice of policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital image analysis was used to quantify size, shape and relative positions of individual plant disease lesions to determine their spatial distribution pattern at the leaf scale. Rice brown spot was used as a necrotrophic pathogen causing numerous discrete lesions. A 50-leaf subsample was selected from an existing data set of 350 images of leaves taken from the field, and analysed for disease severity using image analysis. Further measurements included size, shape and the relative positions of lesions for all leaves with severity > 8% ( n = 25) and an additional 25-leaf sample with severity <8%. A total of 3964 necrotic and/or halo areas were selected using a manually defined threshold in the computer program Assess. There were significant and positive associations (Pearson's r > 0.81; P < 0.001) between the size-related measurements (lesion area, longest and shortest axis). Coalesced areas, formed by interconnection of lesions and associated haloes, and a high number of small lesions were found with an increase in severity, suggesting a secondary cycle and autoinfection process. Results from quadrat-based (Poisson distribution and Spatial Analysis by Distance IndicEs) and distance-based (point-process Poisson) spatial methods were in good agreement and, together with a Taylor power law model, suggested a shift from random to predominantly aggregated patterns of lesions at severities approaching 10%. This framework, which is applicable to other foliar diseases, proved useful in providing quantitative knowledge of epidemic processes at the leaf scale. Finally, these results may be useful in improving simulation models and disease assessment methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The structural changes of the respiratory system related to ageing determine lung function decline in healthy subjects after 25 years of age. An annual reduction of 25 ml in Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 s (FEV1) is expected. We aimed to describe the longitudinal lung function variation of subjects with severe asthma receiving appropriate treatment. Methods: Consecutive patients enrolled in a Brazilian reference clinic between 2003 and 2006 were invited to participate. The study participants were followed up for a median of 8 years, and were evaluated with spirometry in three distinct occasions (V0, V1 and V8), at least. At V0, upon enrollment, subjects with previous severe untreated asthma were evaluated by a specialist, had their health resource utilization in the last 12 months recorded, and performed spirometry. In V1, 1 year after V0, under proper management, subjects repeated the procedures and answered the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) and the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). In the last study visit (V8), 7 years after V1, all patients underwent a pre and post-broncodilator (postBD) spirometry, skin prick test for aeroallergens, answered the ACQ and the AQLQ and had another interview with the specialist. Results: Two hundred thirty-four subjects were followed up between V0 and V8. A comparison between spirometries of V1 and V8, after the initial improvement has supposedly reached a plateau, shows that the FEV1 and FVC declined significantly both in absolute and percent of predicted values. FEV1postBD did not change significantly between V0 and V1, but declined by -27.1 (-51.1-1.4) ml/yr between V1 and V8. Conclusions: Currently available treatment with a combination of inhaled corticosteroids and LABA may not be sufficient to prevent lung function decline in subjects with severe asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large collection ( n = 539) of Fusarium graminearum species complex ( FGSC) isolates was obtained from Brazilian maize, and collections formed according to geography and maize part: (i) kernel ( n = 110) from south and south-central Brazil; (ii) stalk ( n = 134) from Paraná state (south); and (iii) stubble ( n = 295) from Rio Grande do Sul state (south). Species composition, identified using a multilocus genotype approach, was assessed separately in each collection due to differences in geographic sampling. Overall, three species were found: F. meridionale (Fmer; 67% prevalence) with the nivalenol ( NIV) genotype, F. graminearum (Fgra; 19%) with the 15-acetyl (A) deoxynivalenol ( DON) genotype, and F. cortaderiae (Fcor; 14%) with the NIV (49/74) or the 3- ADON (25/74) genotype. In kernels, Fmer was spread across all locations and Fgra and Fcor were found mostly at high elevation (>800 m a.s.l.). The majority (97·8%) of stalk isolates was assigned to Fmer; three were assigned to Fgra. In the stubble, Fmer was less dominant (53%), with a shift towards Fcor as the most frequent species at high elevation sites (>600 m a.s.l.). No differences in the mycelial growth rate were observed among isolates from each species grown at 15°C. Fgra grew faster at 25°C and Fmer showed the widest range of variation across the isolates at both temperatures. The survey data suggest that Fmer may outcompete other species on ears and stalks in comparison to stubble. Additional sampling that controls for other factors, as well as direct testing of aggressiveness on ears and stalk tissue, will be needed to fully evaluate this hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of the Fusarium graminearum species complex ( FGSC), such as F. graminearum and F. asiaticum, are the main cause of fusarium head blight ( FHB) of wheat and barley worldwide. In this study, 117 FGSC isolates obtained from commercial barley grain produced in Argentina ( n = 43 isolates), Brazil ( n = 35), and Uruguay ( n = 39) were identified to species and trichothecene genotypes, and analysed using amplified fragment length polymorphism ( AFLP) and sequence-related amplified polymorphism ( SRAP) markers. In addition, reductase ( RED) and trichothecene 3- O-acetyltransferase ( Tri101) were sequenced for a subset of 24 isolates. The majority of the isolates ( n = 103) were identified as F. graminearum, which was the only species found in Argentina. In Uruguay, only one F. cortaderiae isolate was found among F. graminearum isolates. In Brazil, F. graminearum also dominated the collection (22/35), followed by F. meridionale (8/35), F. asiaticum (2/35), F. cortaderiae (2/35) and F. austroamericanum (1/35). Species were structured by trichothecene genotype: all F. graminearum were of the 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol ( ADON), F. meridionale, F. asiaticum and F. cortaderiae were of the nivalenol ( NIV), and F. austroamericanum was of the 3- ADON genotype. Both AFLP and SRAP data showed high levels of genetic variability, which was higher within than among countries. Isolates were not structured by country of origin. SRAP analysis grouped F. graminearum in a separate cluster from the other species within the complex. However, AFLP analysis failed to resolve the species into distinct clades with partial clustering of F. meridionale, F. austroamericanum, F. asiaticum and F. graminearum isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tropical forest cover has varied greatly over the last few decades. The rapid advance of agricultural crops and illegal clearings in natural areas has resulted in the conversion of the majority of the world’s forest into desolated patches. Although rates of deforestation have decreased compared to previous years, forest loss still remains a crucial concern. Latest studies conducted on a global scale identified the Latin American continent as one of the regions exhibiting the highest rates of deforestation in the world. The dynamics of forests over the past 40 years has attracted numerous remote-sensing-based studies to monitor forest loss, analyse patterns, and understand the drivers of land conversion. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the remote-sensing-based studies of tropical forest dynamics in Latin America. Following an introduction with respect to global forest mapping products, a general outline of tropical forest ecoregions and drivers of deforestation in Latin America is provided. Subsequently, a review and categorization of the existing studies is presented, where focus is laid on selected sensors and data analysis methodologies apply. Furthermore, a case study for the whole of Paraguay is presented; Paraguay is a region which contains highly diverse ecosystems that have been ravaged as a result of deforestation over the past 40 years. The main results, challenges, and future needs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Background: Liver transplantation (OLT) is the gold standard therapy for patients with cirrhosis complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within Milan Criteria (MC). We evaluated the impact of the etiology of the underlying liver disease on long-term outcomes of patients undergoing OLT for HCC within MC having a Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score < 15. Methods: From November 2002 to December 2009, we performed 203 primary OLTs from brain-dead donors in recipients with HCC and cirrhosis with biochemical MELD scores below 15. We excluded 31 patients outside MC on the explant pathology of the native liver. The remaining 172 were divided into 3 groups according to the etiology of the underlying cirrhosis: hepatitis C virus-positive (HCV+; n = 78; 45%), hepatitis B virus-positive (HBV+; n = 65; 38%) and other indications (n = 29; 17%). The groups were compared for donor and recipient features, donor-recipient match, and transplant variables. The study endpoint was long-term patient survival. Results: The groups were similar, except for a greater prevalence of hepatitis B core antibody-positive grafts in the HBV+ group and less frequent HCC bridging procedures in the other indications group. After a median follow-up of 72 months, HCC recurrence was observed in 8 (4.7%) patients (6 HCV+, 2 other indications), 5 of whom died. Overall 5-year patient survival of 82%, revealed significant differences among groups: 98.3% in HBV+, 67.1% in HCV+, and 85.8% in other indications (HBV+ vs other indications: P = .01; HBV+ vs HCV+: P = .0001; HCV+ vs other indications: P = NS). In the HCV+ group, recurrent HCV hepatitis was the most frequent cause of death. Upon multivariate analysis, HBV positivity in the recipient was an independent predictor of better patient survival (hazard ratio = 0.10, 95% confidence interval 0.02–0.64, P = .013). Conclusions: Etiology of the underlying cirrhosis significantly influenced the long-term survival after OLT of patients with HCC within MC and MELD < 15. It should be taken into account in estimation of survival benefit. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To make the analysis of infrared (IR) spectra accessible to students who are blind and visually impaired (BVI), the visual information of the spectra was converted into nonspeech sounds using the open-source programs JDXview v0.2 and CSV to MIDI converter. In the sonified infrared spectra (SIRS), time is used as a spectral frequency indicator, and the range of the selected musical instrument frequencies is correlated with the intensity of the corresponding band absorptions. To simplify the identification of the absorption bands in the SIRS, seven audible distinguishable time markers were added: at the beginning, 3000, 2500, 2000, 1500, 1000 cm-1, and at the end. This approach allows the fast identification of typical functional groups, or a set of frequencies related to a particular structural pattern in a molecule. By conveying IR spectral data, SIRS will aid BVI students' chemical education; SIRS can be used either for distance learning or in classroom activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apples are commercially grown in Brazil in a subtropical environment that favors the development of fungal diseases such as Glomerella leaf spot (GLS) caused mainly by Glomerella cingulata (anamorph Colletotrichum gloeosporioides). The main objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of mixed infections by Apple stem grooving virus (ASGV) and Apple stem pitting virus (ASPV) on the infection and the colonization processes of C. gloeosporiodes in cv. Maxi Gala plants. Leaves of 16-month-old potted plants were spray-inoculated and both the disease incidence and lesion count were monitored over time and leaf severity was assessed in the final evaluation using an image analysis tool. Results showed that initial infection estimated from a monomolecular model fitted to progress of lesion count was higher and the incubation period (time to reach 50% incidence) was on average 10 h shorter in virus-infected plants compared to non-infected plants. It is hypothesized that initial events such as conidial germination and fungal penetration into plant cells were facilitated by the presence of viral infection. Also, final GLS severity was significantly higher in the virus-infected plants. Mixed infections by ASGV/ASPV seemed to make apple leaves more susceptible to the initial infection and colonization by C. gloeosporioides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ll published results available regarding ash content and 21 chemical elements were chronologically compiled. The evolution of analytical methodologies, the rising interest in the knowledge of certain elements at a certain time, and the relation between concentrations and time, are among the gathered information within a period of 221 years, starting with the first published study from the year 1787. Rather than establish a correlation between the inorganic content of cork and its quality, the aim of this data collection is to remove all doubts regarding what is already known on the inorganic content of cork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction - The use of the average analytical signal for the construction of curves by the least squares method (LSM) over the standard addition method (SAM) is widespread. It would be advantageous, however, to find a way to avoid intermediary averages, which are known to be the cause of significant increases in standard deviations (SD). Objective - To develop a protocol that uses all gathered data to create curves by LSM over SAM. To use Excel® for the estimation of y = mx + b and R2 rather than using LSM equations for the SD of m, x and b. Methodology - The level of lead (II) in the bark (cork) of Quercus suber Linnaeus was determined using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). Three current samples were taken for each of the four standard additions. These signals were combined for adjustment by LSM. The results were compared with those obtained after averaging the current for each addition, and the expression of uncertainty in the measurements determined. Results - The new method shows an expanded uncertainty of ± 0.3321 μg/g (nearly 1.42%). The difference between the results obtained by the new and the old method is 0.01 μg/g (23.41 and 23.40 μg/g). The limit of detection changed approximately from 4.8 to 4 μg/g and the relative SD approximately from 9 to 6%. Conclusion - The absence of intermediary averages in curves improved the determination of lead (II) in cork by DPASV. Estimation of SD only with LSM equations produced results that were significantly worse. The changes are large enough to transform an apparently internally non-validated procedure (repeatability for precision) into an internally validated procedure. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium head blight is a major concern for wheat production worldwide. The fungi that cause the disease may infect head tissues from flowering to late stages of kernel development, but a better understanding of the influence of the time of infection on grain weight reduction and mycotoxin accumulation resulting from the infection process is needed. We investigated the influence of wheat reproductive stage at the time of inoculation on disease and grain quality parameters, especially production of deoxynivalenol (DON) in mature grains. Heads of Norm wheat were spray inoculated with a macroconidial suspension of a DON-producing isolate of Fusarium graminearum at each of six reproductive stages from flowering to hard dough. Plants were incubated in a mist chamber for 48 h and then moved to the greenhouse until maturity. Norm wheat was susceptible at all stages inoculated but the highest grain weight reduction and DON accumulation occurred in plants inoculated past flowering to late milk stages. However, high incidences of kernel infection and significant levels of DON accumulation resulted from inoculations as late as the hard dough stage, even though there was no corresponding reduction in grain weight compared to non-inoculated plants. The occurrence of commercially significant levels of DON in plump, high-yielding wheat may result from infections that occur during favourable environments well after the flowering stages. Late infection and DON production should therefore be a future research focus for wheat breeding and integrated management of FHB and an important consideration for grading systems that employ the presence of visibly damaged kernels as a means of estimating DON content of wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Asian soybean rust occurs in a broad range of environmental conditions, the most explosive and severe epidemics have been reported in seasons with warm temperature and abundant moisture. Associations between weather and epidemics have been reported previously, but attempts to identify the major factors and model these relationships with field data have been limited to specific locations. Using data from 2002-03 to 2004-05 from 34 field experiments at 21 locations in Brazil that represented all major soybean production areas, we attempted to identify weather variables using a I-month time window following disease detection to develop simple models to predict final disease severity. Four linear models were identified, and these models explained 85 to 93% of variation in disease severity. Temperature variables had lower correlation with disease severity compared with rainfall, and had minimal predictive value for final disease severity. A curvilinear relationship was observed between I month of accumulated rainfall and final disease severity, and a quadratic response model using this variable had the lowest prediction error. Linear response models using only rainfall or number of rainy days in the I -month period tended to overestimate disease for severity <30%. The study high- lights the importance of rainfall in influencing soybean rust epidemics in Brazil, as well as its potential use to provide quantitative risk assessments and seasonal forecasts for soybean rust, especially for regions where temperature is not a limiting factor for disease development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gangliosides have been shown to modulate autoimmune phenomena in experimental diabetes. The effects of a pancreatic ganglioside preparation or of a commercial brain ganglioside mixture on the insulitis and blood glucose levels in the low-dose streptozotocin mouse model of diabetes have been investigated. Fifty-five C57BL/6J male mice were grouped as follows: Group 1 (n = 20) was injected intraperitoneally with repeated low doses of streptozotocin; Group 2 (n = 10) received streptozotocin as above but was also injected with a pancreatic ganglioside preparation equivalent to 2 µg sialic acid 2 h before each streptozotocin dose; Group 3 (n = 15) received streptozotocin and brain-derived gangliosides in the same dose as that of pancreatic gangliosides; Group 4 (n = 10) consisted of normal animals. Half of the mice were killed on day 12 and the others on day 24 from the beginning of treatment. On day 12, among the streptozotocin-injected animals only those treated with pancreatic gangliosides remained normoglycaemic, whereas on day 24 all streptozotocin mice were hyperglycaemic. Such a result paralleled that data pertaining to insulitis scores. In conclusion, pancreatic gangliosides have a short-term protective role on the development of diabetes in the low-dose streptozotocin model, an effect therefore linked to tissue-related differences in the glycosphingolipid composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

three forms of cell adhesion determine the life cycle of Dictyostelium: i) adhesion of bacteria to the surface of the growing amoebae, as the prerequisite for phagocytosis; ii) cell-substrate adhesion, necessary for both locomotion of the amoebae and migration of the slug; iii) cell-cell adhesion, essential for transition from the unicellular to the multicellular stage. Intercellular adhesion has received the most attention, and fruitful approaches have been developed over the past 25 years to identify, purify and characterize cell adhesion molecules. The csA glycoprotein, in particular, which mediates adhesion during the aggregation stage, is one of the best defined cell adhesion molecules. The molecular components involved in phagocytosis and cell-substratum adhesion are less well understood, but the basis has been laid for a systematic investigation of both topics in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scenario analysis constitutes a useful approach to synthesize knowledge and derive hypotheses in the case of complex systems that are documented with mainly qualitative or very diverse information. In this article, a framework for scenario analysis is designed and then, applied to global wheat health within a timeframe from today to 2050. Scenario analysis entails the choice of settings, the definition of scenarios of change, and the analysis of outcomes of these scenarios in the chosen settings. Three idealized agrosystems, representing a large fraction of the global diversity of wheat-based agrosystems, are considered, which represent the settings of the analysis. Several components of global changes are considered in their consequences on global wheat health: climate change and climate variability, nitrogen fertilizer use, tillage, crop rotation, pesticide use, and the deployment of host plant resistances. Each idealized agrosystem is associated with a scenario of change that considers first, a production situation and its dynamics, and second, the impacts of the evolving production situation on the evolution of crop health. Crop health is represented by she functional groups of wheat pathogens: the pathogens associated with Fusarium head blight; biotrophic fungi, Septoria-like fungi, necrotrophic fungi, soilbome pathogens, and insect-transmitted viruses. The analysis of scenario outcomes is conducted along a risk-analytical pattern, which involves risk probabilities represented by categorized probability levels of disease epidemics, and risk magnitudes represented by categorized levels of crop losses resulting from these levels of epidemics within each production situation. The results from this scenario analysis suggest an overall increase of risk probabilities and magnitudes in the three idealized agrosystems. Changes in risk probability or magnitude however vary with the agrosystem and the functional groups of pathogens. We discuss the effects of global changes on the six functional groups, in terms of their epidemiology and of the crop losses they cause. Scenario analysis enables qualitative analysis of complex systems, such as plant pathosystems that are evolving in response to global changes, including climate change and technology shifts. It also provides a useful framework for quantitative simulation modeling analysis for plant disease epidemiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]