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BackgroundOral corticosteroid (OCS) dependence among patients with severe eosinophilic asthma can cause adverse outcomes, including adrenal insufficiency. PONENTE's OCS reduction phase showed that, following benralizumab initiation, 91.5% of patients eliminated corticosteroids or achieved a final dosage ≤5 mg·day−1(median (range) 0.0 (0.0–40.0) mg).MethodsThe maintenance phase assessed the durability of corticosteroid reduction and further adrenal function recovery. For ∼6 months, patients continued benralizumab 30 mg every 8 weeks without corticosteroids or with the final dosage achieved during the reduction phase. Investigators could prescribe corticosteroids for asthma exacerbations or increase daily dosages for asthma control deteriorations. Outcomes included changes in daily OCS dosage, Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ)-6 and St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), as well as adrenal status, asthma exacerbations and adverse events.Results598 patients entered PONENTE; 563 (94.1%) completed the reduction phase and entered the maintenance phase. From the end of reduction to the end of maintenance, the median (range) OCS dosage was unchanged (0.0 (0.0–40.0) mg), 3.2% (n=18/563) of patients experienced daily dosage increases, the mean ACQ-6 score decreased from 1.26 to 1.18 and 84.5% (n=476/563) of patients were exacerbation free. The mean SGRQ improvement (–19.65 points) from baseline to the end of maintenance indicated substantial quality-of-life improvements. Of patients entering the maintenance phase with adrenal insufficiency, 32.4% (n=104/321) demonstrated an improvement in adrenal function. Adverse events were consistent with previous reports.ConclusionsMost patients successfully maintained maximal OCS reduction while achieving improved asthma control with few exacerbations and maintaining or recovering adrenal function.

Estimativa do volume para três espécies de interesse comercial madeireiras a partir do diâmetro do toco. O volume comercial de árvores pode ser calculado de forma direta e indireta. Entretanto em áreas de desmatamento ilegal, muitas vezes o fuste não está disponível para medições dendrometricas e, consequentemente, cálculo do volume comercial, e a utilização do método direto. Por outro lado, o uso do método indireto é impossível devido a não existência de equações com variáveis de possível medição. Para viabilizar a estimativa de volume nestes casos, o objetivo desse trabalho foi estimar o volume comercial de madeira de árvores individuais através de equações de regressão, utilizando medições realizadas no toco para três espécies de interesse comercial, em áreas de manejo florestal madeireiro, sendo elas: Dipteryx odorata (Aubl.) Willd., Apuleia leiocarpa (Vogel) J.F.Macbr. e Amburana acreana (Ducke) A.C.Sm. Os dados foram coletados em duas áreas de manejo, localizadas nos municípios de Sena Madureira e Rio Branco, com amostra de 250 tocos. Foram realizados testes estatísticos para análise de regressão e escolha das melhores equações que estimassem o volume das espécies selecionadas para o estudo, à partir do diâmetro do toco. Testes de exatidão, precisão, pressupostos, validação e modelo identidade foram aplicados para escolha. Foram testados modelos que atenderam os objetivos da pesquisa para ambas as espécies com R²ajus = 87,7% para Dipteryx odorata (Aubl.) Willd., R²ajus = 81,8% para Apuleia leiocarpa (Vogel) J.F.Macbr. e R²ajus = 70,5% para Amburana acreana (Ducke) A.C.Sm., assim como atenderam todos os pressupostos da regressão tendo como resultado a validação das equações ajustadas pelos modelos selecionados. The commercial volume of trees can be calculated directly and indirectly. However, in areas of illegal deforestation, the stem is often not available for dendrometric measurements and, consequently, calculation of the commercial volume and the use of the direct method. On the other hand, the use of the indirect method is impossible due to the lack of equations with possible measurement variables. In order to make the volume estimate feasible in these cases, the objective of this work was to estimate the commercial volume of wood from individual trees using regression equations, using measurements made on the stump for three species of commercial interest, in areas of timber forest management, namely: Dipteryx odorata (Aubl.) Willd., Apuleia leiocarpa (Vogel) JFMacbr. and Amburana acreana (Ducke) A.C.Sm. Data were collected in two management areas, located in the municipalities of Sena Madureira and Rio Branco, with a sample of 250 stumps. Statistical tests were carried out to analyze regression and choose the best equations that would estimate the volume of the species selected for the study, based on the diameter of the stump. Tests of accuracy, precision, assumptions, validation and identity model were applied for choice. Models that met the research objectives for both species were tested with R²adj = 87.7% for Dipteryx odorata (Aubl.) Willd., R²adj = 81.8% for Apuleia leiocarpa (Vogel) J.F.Macbr. and R²adj = 70.5% for Amburana acreana (Ducke) A.C.Sm., as well as meeting all the assumptions of the regression resulting in the validation of the equations adjusted by the selected models. Made available in DSpace on 2021-10-20T19:01:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 27211.pdf: 328937 bytes, checksum: 9a9bb5d0340049bc0bf0be4b8a78f8ce (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021

Trees in the upper canopy contribute disproportionately to forest ecosystem productivity. The large, canopy-emergent Bertholletia excelsa also supports a multimillion-dollar commodity crop (Brazil nut), harvested almost exclusively from Amazonian forests. B. excelsa fruit production, however is extremely variable within populations and years, destabilizing local harvester livelihoods and the extractive economy. To understand this variability, data were collected in Acre, Brazil over 10 years at two sites with similar climate and forest types, but different fruit production levels, despite their proximity (~ 30 km). One site consistently produced more fruit, showed less individual- and population-level variability, and had significantly higher soil P and K levels. The strongest predictor of fruit production was crown area. Elevation and sapwood area also significantly impacted fruit production, but effects differed by site. While number of wet days and dry season vapor pressure prior to flowering were significant production predictors, no climatic variables completely captured annual observed variation. Trees on the site with higher available P and K produced nearly three times more fruits, and appeared more resilient to prolonged drought and drier atmospheric conditions. Management activities, such as targeted fertilization, may shield income-dependent harvesters from expected climate changes and production swings, ultimately contributing to conservation of old growth forests where this species thrives. Made available in DSpace on 2021-09-16T13:00:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Staudhammer-et-al-2021-DriversFruitProd-BNut.pdf: 2657334 bytes, checksum: 893f4eae7932392f656c74f924830415 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021

Tests on organic photovoltaics (OPV) mini modules, fabricated through a R2R process, in air and without hazardous solvents have been conducted in order to compare their outdoor performance, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and Bangor, North Wales, and assess the impact of the latitude and climate of the installation on the power generation and modules' lifetime. The test showed different profiles of degradation for each region and formulation, with a surprisingly faster degradation in Bangor. One of the possible sources of the increased degradation is the greater levels of condensation observed in Bangor. To verify the impact of condensation on the module stability, indoor tests have been conducted to relate the dew point depression to module degradation times. The results show that condensation is a significant stress factor in OPV and should be considered more prominently in reliability studies.