The nanoencapsulation of biocomposites with anthelmintic action has been proposed as an alternative for improving their efficiency. Thus, the current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of carvacryl acetate nanoencapsulated with biopolymers (nCVA) in the control of sheep gastrointestinal nematodes. CVA was nanoencapsulated with chitosan/chichá gum and characterized in terms of its efficacy of encapsulation (EE), yield and zeta potential. The acute toxicity of nCVA was evaluated in mice. For the fecal egg count reduction test, 40 animals were divided into four groups (n = 10) and orally administered the following treatments: G1, 250 mg kg−1 CVA; G2, 250 mg kg−1 nCVA; G3, chitosan/chichá gum (negative control) and G4, 2.5 mg kg−1 monepantel (positive control). Feces were collected on days 0 and 16 posttreatment to determine the eggs per gram of feces (epg). The EE and yield of nCVA were 72.8 and 57.5%, respectively. The nanoparticles showed a size of 764.5 ± 302.5 nm, and the zeta potential at pH 3.2 was +22.0 mV. nCVA presented a 50% lethal dose (LD50) of 2609 mg kg−1. By 16 days posttreatment, CVA, nCVA and monepantel reduced the epg by 52.9.7, 71.5 and 98.7%, respectively, and the epg of sheep treated with nCVA differed from that of the negative control (P > 0.05) but did not differ from that of sheep treated with CVA. In conclusion, the nanoencapsulation of CVA reduced its toxicity, and nCVA showed anthelmintic activity.

Ageing leads to a progressive loss of muscle function (MF) and quality (MQ: muscle strength (MS)/lean muscle mass (LM)). Power training and protein (PROT) supplementation have been proposed as efficient interventions to improve MF and MQ. Discrepancies between results appear to be mainly related to the type and/or dose of proteins used. The present study aimed at determining whether or not mixed power training (MPT) combined with fast-digested PROT (F-PROT) leads to greater improvements in MF and MQ in elderly men than MPT combined with slow-digested PROT (S-PROT) or MPT alone. Sixty elderly men (age 69 (sd 7) years; BMI 18–30 kg/m2) were randomised into three groups: (1) placebo + MPT (PLA; n 19); (2) F-PROT + MPT (n 21) and (3) S-PROT + MPT (n 20) completed the intervention. LM, handgrip and knee extensor MS and MQ, functional capacity, serum metabolic markers, skeletal muscle characteristics, dietary intake and total energy expenditure were measured. The interventions consisted in 12 weeks of MPT (3 times/week; 1 h/session) combined with a supplement (30 g:10 g per meal) of F-PROT (whey) or S-PROT (casein) or a placebo. No difference was observed among groups for age, BMI, number of steps and dietary intake pre- and post-intervention. All groups improved significantly their LM, lower limb MS/MQ, functional capacity, muscle characteristics and serum parameters following the MPT. Importantly, no difference between groups was observed following the MPT. Altogether, adding 30 g PROT/d to MPT, regardless of the type, does not provide additional benefits to MPT alone in older men ingesting an adequate (i.e. above RDA) amount of protein per d.

The current study aims to evaluate the effects of increasing levels of xylanase enzyme (XYL) on sugarcane silage fermentation, fermentative losses, chemical composition, dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) degradation and aerobic stability. A completely randomized design trial was performed with five treatments and 50 experimental silos. Treatments were: 0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 mg of XYL per kg of DM. XYL contained 10 000 U/g. There was a quadratic effect of XYL on silage pH and acetic acid concentration: lower pH and higher acetic acid concentrations were found at intermediary levels of the enzyme. XYL decreased lactic acid concentration linearly. Furthermore, the enzyme had a quadratic effect on effluent and total losses, with higher losses at intermediary XYL levels. There was a quadratic effect of XYL on organic matter (OM), non-fibre carbohydrates (NFC) and crude protein (CP) content. In addition, a quadratic effect of XYL was observed on NDF content and degradation. Intermediary levels of XYL showed higher concentration of OM and NFC. The addition of XYL had no effect on silage temperature and pH after aerobic exposure. Thus, intermediate levels of XYL increased acetic acid and decreased silage pH. Besides positive effects on silage composition, intermediary XYL levels decreased NDF degradation.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of cases and the social determinants associated with death from human visceral leishmaniasis (HVL) and VL–HIV co-infection in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, between 2006 and 2013. Descriptive statistics and analysis of associations were performed using chi-square of the raised variables, such as sex, age, skin colour and schooling of cases of HVL. During the study period, there were 866 cases of HVL with 111 deaths in Belo Horizonte. Morbidity and lethality rates (LR) of HVL in Belo Horizonte remained high over almost all the years evaluated, with an average incidence rate of 4.18 cases/100 000 inhabitants and a LR of 11.16%. With respect to skin colour, it was found that people characterised as black or mulatto had higher morbidity, followed by white. Regarding schooling, LR was more prevalent among individuals with lower education. One of the social risk factors was co-infection with HIV, which was present in many cases of HVL. Furthermore, it was found that older age and the male sex were also risk factors for death from HVL in Belo Horizonte.

Stable oxygen isotope values of inoceramid marine bivalve shells recovered from Bentiaba, Angola, are utilised as a proxy for paleotemperatures during the Late Cretaceous development of the African margin of the South Atlantic Ocean. The δ18O values derived from inoceramids show a long-term increase from –3.2‰ in the Late Turonian to values between –0.8 and –1.8‰ in the Late Campanian. Assuming a constant oceanic δ18O value, an ∼2‰ increase may reflect cooling of the shallow marine environment at Bentiaba by approximately 10°. Bentiaba values are offset by about +1‰ from published records for bathyal Inoceramus at Walvis Ridge. This offset in δ18O values suggests a temperature difference of ∼5° between coastal and deeper water offshore Angola. Cooler temperatures implied by the δ18O curve at Bentiaba coincide with the stratigraphic distribution of diverse marine amniotes, including mosasaurs, at Bentiaba.

New elasmosaurid plesiosaur specimens are described from the Early Maastrichtian of Angola. Phylogenetic analyses reconstruct the Angolan taxon as an aristonectine elasmosaurid and the sister taxon of an unnamed form of similar age from New Zealand. Comparisons also indicate a close relationship with an unnamed form previously described from Patagonia. All of these specimens exhibit an ostensibly osteologically immature external morphology, but histological analysis of the Angolan material suggests an adult with paedomorphic traits. By extension, the similarity of the Angolan, New Zealand and Patagonian material indicates that these specimens represent a widespread paedomorphic yet unnamed taxon.

We report here a new elasmosaurid from the early Maastrichtian at Bentiaba, southern Angola. Phylogenetic analysis places the new taxon as the sister taxon to Styxosaurus snowii, and that clade as the sister of a clade composed of (Hydrotherosaurus alexandrae (Libonectes morgani + Elasmosaurus platyurus)). The new taxon has a reduced dorsal blade of the scapula, a feature unique amongst elasmosaurids, but convergent with cryptoclidid plesiosaurs, and indicates a longitudinal protraction-retraction limb cycle rowing style with simple pitch rotation at the glenohumeral articulation. Morphometric phylogenetic analysis of the coracoids of 40 eosauropterygian taxa suggests that there was a broad range of swimming styles within the clade.

The economics of coffee plantations is intrinsically linked to pruning, which can improve the canopy architecture and thereby increase productivity. However, recommended pruning times on conilon coffee plantations have been made on an entirely empirical basis. In this study, by evaluating growth, photosynthetic gas exchanges, starch accumulation and crop productivity, the effects of pruning at different times between harvest and flowering were investigated for six conilon coffee clones with distinct stages of fruit maturation (early, intermediate and late). Clones with an early maturation stage were pruned at four different times: 0, 30, 60 and 90 days after harvest (DAH). Intermediate clones were pruned at 0, 30 and 60 DAH, and late clones were pruned at 0 and 30 DAH. Overall, the rates of shoot growth and net photosynthesis, the stomatal conductance and the crop yield were not affected by the pruning treatments in any of the clones. In addition, pruning times did not affect the concentrations of starch or the photochemical efficiency of photosystem II. The carbon isotope composition ratio was marginally affected by the treatments. These results suggest that the pruning time after harvests is relatively unimportant and pruning operations can be scheduled to optimise the use of labour, which directly impacts the production costs of coffee.

ArcelorMittal Monlevade is an integrated plant with sinter plant,blast furnace, BOF, ladle furnace, continuous caster, and rolling mill,with a capacity of 1.2 million tpy. During the last years, Monlevadehas been raising the ladle free open index through refractory qualityimprovement and standardization of operational parameters. The mainactions were changing of the geometry of ladle well block and nozzle,use of two-layer sand, and control of sand residence time before BOFtapping. Based on these facts, the ladle free open index has increasedfrom 98.5 to 99.8% from 2002 to 2006.

A large variety of materials for optical and optoelectronic applications has been developed by trapping active organic molecules and nanocrystals into pure inorganic and hybrid organic- inorganic gels. Concerning optically active molecules, we focus only here on luminescent materials for solid state tunable lasers and light-emitting diodes, and photochromic materials for integrated optics and optical storage. Optical properties can be controlled by changing the nature and the intensity of chemical and steric interactions between the organic system and the solid host matrix. Concerning nanocrystals, we present two approaches for the synthesis of transparent solids based on 1I-VI semiconducting nanoparticles. A first category of materials consists in the dispersion of CdS nanoparticles in sol-gel silica matrices. The luminescence can be controlled by offering an alternative pathway for the recombination of surface trapped carriers. A second group of transparent materials is obtained by considering the CdS nanoparticles not only as the optically active units, but also as the building blocks for the whole solid.

Previous pathological reports have indicated that swollen and vacuolated motoneuron cell bodies are the most predominant feature characterising Wobbler mouse motoneuron disease, but there has been little supportive evidence using area measurements. The present study focuses on the possible role of changes in neuronal nuclear and perikaryal volumes in the cervical spinal cord ventral horn, using new and traditional stereological probes which provide unbiased estimates of volume. Semithin sections from the ventral horn of Wobbler mice and age and sex-matched phenotypically normal littermates were examined at 2 ages (young and old). The young Wobbler group had significantly larger volume weighted mean perikaryal volumes compared with age-matched controls, reflecting the presence of large swollen cells characteristic of this group; this situation was reversed in the control group. Number-weighted perikaryal volume estimates in the old Wobbler group were smaller than in age-matched controls. The variation in perikaryal volume was greatest in the young Wobbler group in which the coefficient of variation was 127%. The mean number weighted and volume weighted mean nuclear volumes were significantly smaller in the old Wobbler group compared with age-matched controls and young Wobbler groups. The application of new stereological probes has enabled us to document more precisely these changes in neuronal structure in the Wobbler mutant mouse.

The effect of protein fractions isolated from cereal grains on the development and survival of the bean weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus, was investigated using wheat, rice and maize. These cereals were fractionated into albumins, globulins, prolamins, glutelins and a residue. The fractions were incorporated in artificial seeds which were infested by C. maculatus. Survival (as indicated by LD50) and development (as indicated by WD50) of 20-day-larvae of the bruchid were negatively affected by most of the fractions. Rice globulins were the most detrimental and affected both the survival and development of the larvae, while wheat albumins and globulins had a stronger effect on larval development than on survival. A previously isolated maize α-amylase/trypsin inhibitor showed an LD50 of 1.5% to Callosobruchus maculatus.