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This study aimed to optimize both agronomically and economically leaf green mass productivity of kale and its agronomic components when fertilized with equivalent biomass amounts of the hairy woodrose (Merremia aegyptia L.) and roostertree (Calotropis procera Ait.) spontaneous species from the Caatinga biome in two cropping seasons. The experimental design was in randomized blocks with five treatments and five replications. The treatments consisted of equivalent biomass amounts of hairy woodrose and roostertree at doses of 16, 29, 42, 55, and 68 ton ha-1, on a dry basis. In each experiment, a treatment without fertilization (control) and a treatment with chemical fertilization were used. The maximum optimized physical efficiencies of the kale commercial leaf productivity and number of leaf packets per square meter were 16.92 ton ha-1 and 6.97, respectively, when the amounts of the green manure biomass of 56.41 and 48.63 ton ha-1 were incorporated into the soil. The optimized maximum net income of 47,841.44 BRL ha-1 and rate of return of 2.47 reals for each real invested were obtained when the amounts of the green manure biomass were 53.26 and 64.31 ton ha-1 added to the soil. The use of M. aegyptia and C. procera biomass as green manure is a viable technology for kale producers in monocropping in a semi-arid environment.

A rúcula é uma hortaliça bastante consumida pela população brasileira devido seu sabor picante, odor cativante, elevado valor dietético e por ser fonte de vitaminas e minerais. É uma folhosa bem apreciada na mesa dos consumidores que buscam uma alimentação saudável. Com o intuito de avaliar o desempenho agroeconômico da rúcula adubada com diferentes quantidades de cama de frango, uma pesquisa foi realizada na Fazenda Experimental “Rafael Fernandes” distrito de Lagoinha, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, no período de julho a setembro de 2019. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos completos casualizados, com 4 tratamentos e quatro repetições. Os tratamentos consistiram em quatro quantidades de cama de frango (5, 10, 20 e 40 t ha-¹) em base seca. As características avaliadas foram altura de planta, número de folhas, rendimento de massa fresca e de massa seca da parte aérea. Os índices econômicos avaliados foram renda bruta, renda líquida, taxa de retorno e índice de lucratividade. As quantidades de cama de frango influenciaram o desempenho da rúcula, sendo que a maior altura de plantas, rendimento de massa fresca e de massa seca da parte aérea foi obtida na quantidade de 40 t ha-¹ incorporada ao solo. O número de folhas não foi influenciado pelas quantidades testadas. A maior eficiência agroeconômica obtida no cultivo de rúcula foi com uso de cama de frango na quantidade de 40 t ha-¹.

With the widespread use of integrase inhibitors and the expanding use of long-acting cabotegravir in both pre-exposure prophylaxis and antiretroviral treatment, molecular surveillance on the transmission of integrase resistance has regained clinical significance. This study aimed to determine the frequency of INSTI-transmitted drug resistance mutations (DRMs) among treatment-naïve individuals in Poland from 2016 to 2023. INSTI resistance was analyzed in 882 antiretroviral treatment-naïve individuals using Sanger sequencing. Integrase DRMs were defined based on the Stanford HIV drug resistance database scores. Phylogeny was used to investigate subtyping and clustering. For the analysis of time-trends, logistic regression was used. Major (E138K and R263K) integrase mutations were detected in 0.45% of cases with minor resistance observed in 14.85%, most commonly (13.95%) E157Q. Overall, no major clusters of transmitted drug resistance were identified, and the transmission of E157Q showed a decreasing trend (p < 0.001). While the frequency of sub-subtype A6 increased, it was predominantly found among migrants and associated with L74 mutations. The frequency of major integrase-transmitted DRMs remains low, despite the changes in subtype variability. Surveillance of changing HIV molecular variation patterns is vital from the perspective of the optimal use of integrase inhibitors, especially due to expanding long-acting cabotegravir implementation.

In this study, scaffolds whose main phase is an icosahedral quasicrystal (i-QC) were prepared for the first time by dynamic freeze-casting. Two different metal powders were used here, namely pure aluminum and quasicrystalline particles from the Al-Cu-Fe system. These powers were initially mixed with deionized water, citric acid, and poly(vinyl alcohol). The obtained slurry was frozen while rotating and freeze-dried under vacuum. The green bodies were subsequently heat-treated in a reducing atmosphere. The total porosity and mean pore size evaluated for these scaffolds were 62.4 ± 3.0% and 67.3 ± 2.8 μm, respectively. This is the first time that dynamic freeze-drying has been used in the preparation of QC scaffolds, which reinforces the novelty of this study. In addition, the proposed route is simple, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly, which is also worth highlighting.

It was shown recently that the grain size contribution to the flow stress and strain rate sensitivity of pure metals having different structures can be estimated by a model of deformation for grain boundary sliding. The present research extends this earlier study by estimating the grain size contribution to the flow stress in the CrMnCoFeNi high entropy alloy. This alloy has attracted significant attention in recent years due to its remarkable mechanical properties which include a higher strength compared to f.c.c. pure metals due to a significant contribution from solid solution strengthening. The present work demonstrates that the flow stress of the CrMnCoFeNi alloy can be readily estimated from the sum of the contributions from solid solution and grain size strengthening. There are some unique experimental trends observed in this alloy and these provide supporting evidence for the assumption that the grain size strengthening is thermally-activated. The flow stress, strain rate sensitivity, activation volume and activation energy are predicted for different grain sizes and testing conditions as a function of the fundamental properties of this alloy and the results show excellent agreement with the reported experimental data.

With the widespread use of integrase inhibitors and the expanding use of long-acting cabotegravir in both pre-exposure prophylaxis and antiretroviral treatment, molecular surveillance on the transmission of integrase resistance has regained clinical significance. This study aimed to determine the frequency of INSTI-transmitted drug resistance mutations (DRMs) among treatment-naïve individuals in Poland from 2016 to 2023. INSTI resistance was analyzed in 882 antiretroviral treatment-naïve individuals using Sanger sequencing. Integrase DRMs were defined based on the Stanford HIV drug resistance database scores. Phylogeny was used to investigate subtyping and clustering. For the analysis of time-trends, logistic regression was used. Major (E138K and R263K) integrase mutations were detected in 0.45% of cases with minor resistance observed in 14.85%, most commonly (13.95%) E157Q. Overall, no major clusters of transmitted drug resistance were identified, and the transmission of E157Q showed a decreasing trend (p < 0.001). While the frequency of sub-subtype A6 increased, it was predominantly found among migrants and associated with L74 mutations. The frequency of major integrase-transmitted DRMs remains low, despite the changes in subtype variability. Surveillance of changing HIV molecular variation patterns is vital from the perspective of the optimal use of integrase inhibitors, especially due to expanding long-acting cabotegravir implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The occurrence of HIV-1 subtypes differs worldwide and within Europe, with non-B variants mainly found across different exposure groups. In this study, we investigated the distribution and temporal trends in HIV-1 subtype variability across Poland between 2015 and 2019. Sequences of the pol gene fragment from 2518 individuals were used for the analysis of subtype prevalence. Subtype B was dominant (n = 2163, 85.90%). The proportion of subtype B-infected individuals decreased significantly, from 89.3% in 2015 to 80.3% in 2019. This was related to the increasing number of subtype A infections. In 355 (14.10%) sequences, non-B variants were identified. In 65 (2.58%) samples, recombinant forms (RFs) were noted. Unique recombinant forms (URFs) were found in 30 (1.19%) sequences. Three A/B recombinant clusters were identified of which two were A6/B mosaic viruses not previously described. Non-B clades were significantly more common among females (n = 81, 22.8%, p = 0.001) and heterosexually infected individuals (n = 45, 32.4%, p = 0.0031). The predominance of subtype B is evident, but the variability of HIV-1 in Poland is notable. Almost half of RFs (n = 65, 2.58%) was comprised of URFs (n = 30, 1.19%); thus those forms were common in the analyzed population. Hence, molecular surveillance of identified variants ensures recognition of HIV-1 evolution in Poland.

The arugula is a vegetable widely consumed by the Brazilian population due to its spicy flavor, captivating odor, high dietary value, and being a source of vitamins and minerals. It is a leafy green much appreciated by consumers who seek a healthy diet. To evaluate the agro-economic performance of arugula fertilized with different amounts of chicken manure, research was conducted at the “Rafael Fernandes” Experimental Farm in the district of Lagoinha, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, from July to September 2019. The experimental design used was a randomized complete block design with 4 treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of four quantities of chicken manure (5, 10, 20, and 40 t ha-1) on a dry basis. The characteristics evaluated were plant height, number of leaves, yield of fresh and dry mass of the aerial part. The economic indices evaluated such as gross income, net income, return rate, and profitability index. The quantities of chicken manure influenced the performance of the arugula, with the greatest plant height, fresh mass yield, and dry mass yield of the aerial part obtained at 40 t ha-1 incorporated into the soil. The number of leaves was not influenced by the tested quantities. The greatest agro-economic efficiency obtained for arugula cultivation was with the use of chicken manure in the quantity of 40 t ha-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we traced structural transformations of an Al62.5Cu25Fe12.5 alloy, in which a quasicrystalline icosahedral phase (i-phase) can be formed, upon spraying onto a substrate and consolidation from the powder into the bulk state. The Al62.5Cu25Fe12.5 powder was obtained by gas atomization and consisted of i-phase and τ-phase AlCu(Fe). The powder was detonation sprayed (DS) and consolidated by spark plasma sintering (SPS)/hot pressing (HP). During DS, the particles experienced partial or complete melting and rapid solidification, which resulted in the formation of coatings of a complex structure. The composite regions containing i-phase were inherited from the powder alloy. The fraction of the material that experienced melting solidified as β-phase AlFe(Cu) in the coating. It was suggested that the difficulty of obtaining i-phase upon post-spray annealing is related to aluminum depletion of the alloy during DS. During SPS and HP, the elemental composition of the alloy was preserved, while the exposure to an elevated temperature led to phase homogenization. SPS and HP conducted at 700ºC resulted in full densification and the formation of a single-phase quasicrystalline alloy. The sintered single-phase alloy showed a higher microhardness in comparison with the DS coatings.

Microstructural and mechanical characterization of Al92Fe3Cr2X3 (X = Ce, Mn, Ti, and V) alloys were performed. The alloys were processed by a method that uses centrifugal force to cast the samples into a rotating copper mold. Microstructural characterization was carried out by means of x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Compressive tests at room and at 300 °C were performed in selected samples to evaluate their mechanical properties. Microstructural characterization showed the formation of quasicrystalline phases as well as other intermetallic phases embedded within an Al-FCC matrix. The Ce-containing alloy exhibited promising results regarding quasicrystalline phase formation and stability as well as with respect to its mechanical properties at high temperatures. The quasicrystalline phase of this alloy appears to be stable up to 545 °C when the DSC reveals an exothermic transformation. In addition, the presence of a eutectic structure surrounding the Al-FCC grains enhanced the mechanical strength of this alloy. At 300 °C, the Ce-containing alloy showed yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of 180 MPa and 360 MPa, respectively. If compared to a commercial aluminum alloy 2024 at the T6 condition, close to 300 °C, the alloy studied here showed an increase of more than 4 times in the yield strength, and almost 7 times in the ultimate tensile strength. The high thermal stability and mechanical properties at high temperatures of this alloy open interesting possibilities for further studies and future applications of this Al-Fe-Cr-Ce alloy. Keywords: Al-alloys, Centrifugal force casting, Quasicrystal, Mechanical properties

A structural and mechanical characterization of pure aluminum and 2124 T6 aluminum alloy reinforced with quasicrystalline phases of composition Al65Cu20Fe15 and Al70.5Pd21Mn8.5 (%at.) were performed. The quasicrystalline phases were synthesized by arc melting and then milled to produce powder of the alloys, which were then mechanical mixed with the starting powders of aluminum and 2124 aluminum alloy. The composites were produced by hot extrusion of a mechanical mixture containing 20% (%wt.) of the reinforcing phases on the metallic matrix. The structural characterization of the composites was carried out by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Mechanical characterization was carried out by Vickers hardness measurements and torsion tests at room temperature. The pure aluminum/quasicrystal composite showed the presence of the same phases from the starting powder mixture while for the 2124 aluminum alloy/Al65Cu20Fe15 the quasicrystalline phase transformed to the tetragonal ω-Al7Cu2Fe during the solution heat treatment. Mechanical strength of the composites presented a substantial increase in comparison to the original matrix metal. While the equivalent ultimate tensile strength of the Al/quasicrystal composites reached values up to 215MPa and Vickers hardness up to 60HV, the 2124/quasicrystal composites reached values up to 670MPa and Vickers hardness up to 190HV.

Introduction: Modern combined antiretroviral therapies (cART) allow to effectively suppress HIV-1 viral load, with the 90% virologic success rate, meeting the WHO target in most clinical settings. The aim of this study was to analyse antiretroviral treatment efficacy in Poland and to identify variables associated with virologic suppression. Methods: Cross-sectional data on 5152 (56.92% of the countrywide treated at the time-point of analysis) patients on cART for more than six months with at least one HIV-RNA measurement in 2016 were collected from 14 Polish centres. Patients' characteristics and treatment type-based outcomes were analysed for the virologic suppression thresholds of Results: Virologic suppression rates of Conclusions: Proportion of virologically suppressed patients is in line with WHO treatment target confirming successful application of antiretroviral treatment strategy in Poland. Virological suppression rates depend on baseline patient characteristics, which should guide individualized antiretroviral tre0atment decisions. Keywords: antiretroviral treatment; virologic suppression; cART efficacy; WHO target; viral replication; virologic control To access the supplementary material to this article please see Supplementary Files under Article Tools online., Introduction Antiretroviral treatment leading to virologic suppression is considered not only the most effective treatment option to preserve immune system function but also to decrease the risk of HIV- and [...]

Cu-based shape memory alloys (SMAs) present some advantages as higher transformation temperatures, lower costs and are easier to process than traditional Ti-based SMAs but they also show some disadvantages as low ductility and higher tendency for intergranular cracking. Several studies have sought for a way to improve the mechanical properties of these alloys and microstructural refinement has been frequently used. It can be obtained by laser remelting treatments. The aim of the present work was to investigate the influence of the laser surface remelting on the microstructure of a Cu-11.85Al-3.2Ni-3Mn (wt%) SMA. Plates were remelted using three different laser scanning speeds, i.e. 100, 300 and 500 mm/s. The remelted regions showed a T-shape morphology with a mean thickness of 52, 29 and 23 µm and an average grain size of 30, 29 and 23µm for plates remelted using scanning speed of 100, 300 and 500 mm/s, respectively. In the plates remelted with 100 and 300 mm/s some pores were found at the root of the keyhole due to the keyhole instability. We find that the instability of keyholes becomes more pronounced for lower scanning speeds. It was not observed any preferential orientation introduced by the laser treatment.