Polymeric Fibers with High Strength and High Toughness at Extreme Temperatures.

Developing strong and simultaneously tough polymeric materials with excellent thermal stability and mechanical performance even under extreme temperatures is truly a challenge. In a disruptive progress, continuous polymeric yarns are developed with a combination of high tensile strength of (1145 ± 44) MPa and ultrahigh toughness of (350 ± 24) J g-1 and high thermomechanical properties from -196 to 200 °C. The comprehensive thermomechanical performance of this yarn surpasses that of previously developed polymeric materials and dragline spider silks. The results demonstrate that the molecular structure of polyimide (PI) with the incorporation of flexible-rigid macromolecular, hierarchically spiral-oriented fibers, and high glass transition temperature (248 °C) are keys for the yarn's notable comprehensive performance in thermomechanical properties. The materials are ideal for technical components exposed to high thermomechanical loadings, such as those encountered in spacecraft or automotive engineering for safety-critical applications.

Low Fat Yoghurts Produced with Different Protein Levels and Alternative Natural Sweeteners.

The food industry is looking for substitutes for sucrose in food items due to the excessive consumption of products with added sugar and the demand for healthier products. Alternative natural sweeteners can help achieve this goal. Different types of low-fat yoghurts (1% fat), with low-protein and high-protein levels (3% and 4.5-6.5% protein, respectively), were produced using alternative natural sweeteners. The low-protein yoghurts were made with stevia (0.03% w/w) or agave syrup (4.5% w/w). The high-protein yoghurts were made with stevia (0.04% w/w), xylitol (6% w/w) or honey (6% w/w). Sucrose (6% w/w) was used as a control in both trials. pH and titratable acidity, CIEL*a*b* color parameters, syneresis index, rheology and the texture profile of the low-fat yoghurts were evaluated over refrigerated storage. All products underwent sensory evaluation by an untrained panel. The high-protein yoghurts were found to be more acidic (>1% as lactic acid), had a lower syneresis index (between 2.1 and 16.2%) and a better consistency (stronger gel structure) than the low-protein yoghurts. In terms of rheological parameters, stevia-sweetened yoghurts scored higher than the other sweetened yoghurts, showing a better gel structure. The different sweeteners tested did not significantly affect the sensory properties of the yoghurts, although the high-protein yoghurts scored higher for most of the attributes evaluated. Overall, consumers preferred stevia-sweetened yoghurts to yoghurts sweetened with sucrose or agave for the low-protein yoghurts. Of the tested formulations, those containing high protein with the alternative natural sweetener xylitol received higher scores in all attributes. These results reveal the potential of the tested natural sweeteners as sucrose substitutes, while contributing to improving the nutritional value of yoghurts.

Sheep's Butter and Correspondent Buttermilk Produced with Sweet Cream and Cream Fermented by Aromatic Starter, Kefir and Probiotic Culture.

Small ruminant dairy products are common in some Mediterranean countries, in the Middle East and Africa, and can play a particular role in the development of rural areas. Butter has been the object of few research studies aimed at evaluating its potential as a vehicle for probiotic microorganisms. Moreover, the recovery of fermented buttermilk with functional properties can be considered an excellent opportunity to value this dairy byproduct. Therefore, the purpose of the present work was to develop different sheep butters and respective buttermilks after cream fermentation by: (1) a mesophilic aromatic starter (A); (2) a kefir culture (K); and (3) a mixture of probiotic bacteria (P). The butters and buttermilk produced with fermented cream were compared with non-fermented sweet cream (S) butter or buttermilk, respectively, regarding their physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics. The adjusted production (%, w/v) obtained for butter were: S (44.48%), A (36.82%), K (41.23%) and P (43.36%). S, A and K butters had higher solids, fat and ashes contents than P butter. The probiotic butter had a total fat of ca. 75% (w/w), below the legal limits, while all others had fat levels above 81.5%. In all samples, the pH decreased and the acidity increased over 90 days of refrigerated storage. These variations were more evident in the P butter, which agrees with the highest lactic acid bacteria counts found in this sample. Differences in color between samples and due to storage time were also observed. In general, the butter samples tended to become darker and yellower after the 60th day of storage. Texture analysis showed comparable results between samples and greater hardness was observed for the P butter, most probably due to its higher relative saturated fatty acids content (66.46% compared to 62−64% in S, A and K butters). Regarding rheological properties, all butters showed pseudoplastic behavior, but butter P had the lowest consistency index (249 kPa.sn−1). The probiotic butter and the corresponding buttermilk had viable cell counts greater than 7 Log CFU/g, indicating their suitability as probiotic carriers. All products were well accepted by consumers and small, but non-significant, differences (p > 0.05) were observed in relation to the sensory parameters evaluated. In general, it can be concluded that the use of adequate starter cultures can allow the production of innovative and potentially healthier products, alongside the valorization of dairy byproducts, improving the income of small-scale producers.

Evaluation of the Characteristics of Sheep's and Goat's Ice Cream, Produced with UF Concentrated Second Cheese Whey and Different Starter Cultures.

Second cheese whey (SCW) is the by-product resulting from the manufacture of whey cheeses. In the present work, sheep (S) and goat (G) SCW concentrated by ultrafiltration (UF) were used in the production of ice creams. Concentrated liquid SCW samples with inulin added as a prebiotic were fermented with yoghurt, kefir and probiotic commercial cultures before being frozen in a horizontal frozen yoghurt freezer. The physicochemical, microbiological and sensory properties of the products were evaluated over 120 days of frozen storage. The products presented significant differences regarding these properties, specifically the higher total solids and protein contents of sheep's ice creams, which were higher compared to their goat ice cream counterparts. Sheep's ice creams also presented higher hardness and complex viscosity, which increased with storage. These ice creams also presented higher overrun and lower meltdown rates. The color parameters of the ice creams showed significant differences between formulations resulting from storage time. In all cases, Lactobacilli sp. cell counts were higher than log 6 CFU/g at the first week of storage. In the case of sheep's ice creams these values were maintained or increased until the 30th day, but decreased until the 60th day. Lactococci sp. counts surpassed log 7 CFU/g in all products, and these values were maintained until the end of storage, except in the case of G-Yoghurt and G-Kefir. Concerning the products containing probiotics, the sum of Lactococci sp. and Lactobacilli sp. counts was of the order log 8-9 CFU/g until the 60th day of storage, indicating that the probiotic characteristics of ice creams were maintained for at least 2 months. All products were well accepted by the consumer panel. Sheep's SCW ice creams were better rated regarding aroma, taste and texture. However, only the ranking test was able to differentiate preferences among formulations.

Data-Driven Network Dynamical Model of Rat Brains During Acute Ictogenesis.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders worldwide. Recent findings suggest that the brain is a complex system composed of a network of neurons, and seizure is considered an emergent property resulting from its interactions. Based on this perspective, network physiology has emerged as a promising approach to explore how brain areas coordinate, synchronize and integrate their dynamics, both under perfect health and critical illness conditions. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to present an application of (Dynamic) Bayesian Networks (DBN) to model Local Field Potentials (LFP) data on rats induced to epileptic seizures based on the number of arcs found using threshold analytics. Results showed that DBN analysis captured the dynamic nature of brain connectivity across ictogenesis and a significant correlation with neurobiology derived from pioneering studies employing techniques of pharmacological manipulation, lesion, and modern optogenetics. The arcs evaluated under the proposed approach achieved consistent results based on previous literature, in addition to demonstrating robustness regarding functional connectivity analysis. Moreover, it provided fascinating and novel insights, such as discontinuity between forelimb clonus and generalized tonic-clonic seizure (GTCS) dynamics. Thus, DBN coupled with threshold analytics may be an excellent tool for investigating brain circuitry and their dynamical interplay, both in homeostasis and dysfunction conditions.

Efeito dos desenhos de pilares protéticos de conexão cônica na manutenção do torque sob carga cíclica: estudo in vitro / Effect of conical connection prosthetic abutment designs in torque maintenance under cyclic loading: in vitro study

Este estudo teve o objetivo de avaliar o comportamento biomecânico de um novo pilar protético dividido em duas peças (P2P) comparado a um pilar padrão de uma peça (P1P), ambos com indicação para coroas unitárias parafusadas de um sistema de implante de conexão cônica, submetidos a ciclagem mecânica. Foram utilizados vinte implantes instalados em cilindros de resina poliacetal e divididos em dois grupos: P1P para restaurações ao nível da plataforma do implante, de conexão cônica anti-rotacional e parafuso passante e P2P para restaurações ao nível de tecidos, constituído de duas peças, uma base sólida (P2P-B), de conexão cônica rotacional e um pilar sobre a base (P2P-P), de conexão hexagonal interna antirotacional e parafuso passante. Os corpos de prova foram testados antes e após a ciclagem mecânica (200N a 4Hz por 1x106 ciclos) através da verificação da manutenção do torque em N.cm por um torquímetro digital e da análise das micro fendas em µm na conexão implante-pilar por microscopia. O grupo P1P apresentou redução significativa no torque de remoção pós-ciclagem 10,57 (±3,63) comparado ao torque pré-ciclagem 31,63 (±0,80) e torque de remoção inicial 26,48 (±1,60). O grupo P2P-B apresentou aumento significativo no torque de remoção pós-ciclagem 41,00 (±8,64), comparado ao torque pré-ciclagem 31,10 (±0,62) e torque de remoção inicial 30,12 (±2,08), sua parte superior P2P-P apresentou redução significativa no torque de remoção pós-ciclagem 14,85 (±2,06), comparado ao torque pré-ciclagem 21,06 (±0,50), porém não apresentou diferença significativa com o torque de remoção inicial 15,51 (±1,18). Na avaliação microscópica, a conexão implante-pilar nos dois grupos apresentaram micro fendas iniciais reduzidas, P1P 4,71 (±2,12) e P2P-B 3,95 (±2,02) as quais tiveram redução significativa após a ciclagem, P1P 0,006 (±0,001) e P2P-B 0,005 (±0,001). P2P apresentou comportamento biomecânico superior ao P1P nos valores de torque pós-ciclagem, nos vários momentos comparados, suportando seu uso para coroas unitárias. A interface de conexão de ambos os pilares exibiram micro fendas reduzidas sob microscopia, as quais foram praticamente eliminadas com o acoplamento produzido pela ciclagem mecânica. (AU)

This study aimed to evaluate the biomechanical behavior of a new two-piece split prosthetic abutment (P2P) compared to a standard one-piece abutment (P1P), both indicated for screw-retained single crowns of a conical connection implant system, subjected to mechanical cycling. Twenty implants installed in polyacetal resin cylinders were used and divided into two groups: P1P for implant platform-level restorations, with an anti-rotational conical connection and through screw, and P2P for tissue-level restorations, consisting of two pieces, a solid base (P2P-B), with a rotational conical connection, and an abutment on the base (P2P-P), with an internal hexagonal anti-rotational connection and through screw. The specimens were tested before and after mechanical cycling (200 N at 4 Hz for 1x106 cycles) by checking the torque maintenance in N.cm by a digital torque meter and analyzing the microgaps in µm in the implant-abutment connection by microscopy. The P1P group showed a significant reduction in post-cycling removal torque 10.57 (±3.63) compared to precycling torque 31.63 (±0.80) and initial removal torque 26.48 (±1.60). The P2P-B group showed significant increase in post-cycling removal torque 41.00 (±8.64), compared to pre-cycling torque 31.10 (±0.62) and initial removal torque 30.12 (±2.08), its top the P2P-P showed significant decrease in post-cycling removal torque 14.85 (±2.06), compared to pre-cycling torque 21.06 (±0.50), but showed no significant difference with the initial removal torque 15.51 (±1.18). In the microscopic evaluation, the implant-abutment connection in both groups showed reduced initial microgaps, P1P 4.71 (±2.12) and P2P-B 3.95 (±2.02), which had significant reduction after cycling, P1P 0.006 (±0.001) and P2P-B 0.005 (±0.001). The P2P showed superior biomechanical behavior than the P1P abutment in post-cycling torque values at the various comparative times, supporting its use for single crowns. The connection interface of both abutments exhibited reduced microgaps under microscopy, which were practically eliminated with the coupling produced by mechanical cycling. (AU)

COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against laboratory confirmed symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths, among individuals aged 65 years or more in Portugal: a cohort study based on data-linkage of national registries February-September 2021

BackgroundUsing data from electronic health registries, this study intended to estimate the COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in the population aged 65 years and more, against symptomatic infection, COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths, overall and by time since complete vaccination. MethodsWe stablished a cohort of individuals aged 65 and more years old, resident in Portugal mainland, using the National Health Service unique identifier User number to link eight electronic health registries. Outcomes included were symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections, COVID-19 related hospitalizations or deaths. The exposures of interest were the mRNA vaccines (Cominarty or Spikevax) and the viral vector Vaxzevria vaccine. Complete scheme vaccine effectiveness (VE) was estimated as one minus the confounder adjusted hazard ratio, for each outcome, estimated by time-dependent Cox regression with time dependent vaccine exposure. ResultsFor the cohort of individuals aged 65-79 years, complete scheme VE against symptomatic infection varied between 43% (Vaxzevria) and 65% (mRNA vaccines). This estimate was slightly lower in the [≥]80 year cohort (53% for mRNA vaccines. VE against COVID-19 hospitalization varied between 89% (95%CI: 52-94) for Vaxzevria and 95% (95%CI: 93-97) for mRNA vaccines for the cohort aged 65-79 years and was 76% (95%CI: 67-83) for mRNA vaccines in the [≥]80 year cohort. High VE against COVID-19 related deaths were estimated, for both vaccine types, 95% and 81% for the 65-79 years and the [≥]80 year cohort, respectively. We observed a significant waning of VE against symptomatic infection, with VE estimates reaching approximately 34% for both vaccine types and cohorts. Significant waning was observed for the COVID-19 hospitalizations in the [≥]80 year cohort (decay from 83% 14-41 days to 63% 124 days after mRNA second dose). No significant waning effect was observed for COVID-19 related deaths in the period of follow-up of either cohorts. ConclusionsIn a population with a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 complications, we observed higher overall VE estimates against more severe outcomes for both age cohorts when compared to symptomatic infections. Considering the analysis of VE according to time since complete vaccination, the results showed a waning effect for both age cohorts in symptomatic infection and COVID-19 hospitalization for the 80 and more yo cohort.

Entropy: From Thermodynamics to Information Processing.

Entropy is a concept that emerged in the 19th century. It used to be associated with heat harnessed by a thermal machine to perform work during the Industrial Revolution. However, there was an unprecedented scientific revolution in the 20th century due to one of its most essential innovations, i.e., the information theory, which also encompasses the concept of entropy. Therefore, the following question is naturally raised: "what is the difference, if any, between concepts of entropy in each field of knowledge?" There are misconceptions, as there have been multiple attempts to conciliate the entropy of thermodynamics with that of information theory. Entropy is most commonly defined as "disorder", although it is not a good analogy since "order" is a subjective human concept, and "disorder" cannot always be obtained from entropy. Therefore, this paper presents a historical background on the evolution of the term "entropy", and provides mathematical evidence and logical arguments regarding its interconnection in various scientific areas, with the objective of providing a theoretical review and reference material for a broad audience.

Survival analysis of nonperiodic stimulation (NPS) performance.

Electrical Stimulation (ES) of the nervous system is a promising alternative to treat refractory epilepsy. Recent developments in the area have led to a novel method involving a non-standard form of electrical stimulation with randomized inter-pulse intervals called non-periodic stimulation (NPS). Although it is an interesting approach, there is limited statistical proof to confirm its effectiveness. Therefore this brief communication presents a survival analysis of a pre-clinical trial to assess the significance of NPS therapy. The experiment comprised four groups of rats that have been compared: two with and two without NPS treatment. ES was applied bilaterally to the amygdala in animals subjected to the pentylenetetrazole continuous infusion (10 mg/ml/min) model, myoclonic or tonic-clonic generalized seizures were triggered. The Kaplan-Meier estimator was used to develop survival functions and the Logrank test was carried out to check the differences among groups. The first comparison was made between two groups of rats that developed generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTC groups), those who received NPS treatment took longer to develop epileptic seizures. The logrank test proved statistical difference due to reaching a p-value of 7%. The second comparison was performed between two groups of rats that developed myoclonic seizures (MYO groups), and once again better survival probabilities were observed for the NPS group. The Logrank test revealed a p-value of 0.5% thereof. Thus, a survival analysis of NPS treatment proved effectiveness against seizures by promoting an anticonvulsant effect. By comparing the groups selected for this study, it was found that the NPS treatment yielded better results, mainly against myoclonic seizures.

Postinfantile giant cell hepatitis in the setting of autoimmune hepatitis: exclusively a histological pattern or a prognosis predictor?

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a rare chronic liver disease with a non-specific clinical presentation. Its physiopathology is not fully understood and, if untreated, can progress to cirrhosis and even fulminant liver failure. Here, we describe a case of a 73-year-old patient with an 11-month history suggestive of liver disease, who was concomitantly diagnosed with AIH and the extremely rare postinfantile giant cell hepatitis (PIGCH). Despite standard immunosuppressive therapy, the patient presented a severe clinical course, culminating in acute-on-chronic liver failure and death. This case reminds physicians of the importance of an early diagnosis, close monitoring and timely treatment of AIH. It also highlights the significant role in prognosis of the specific histological pattern of PIGCH, which has been mainly associated with a serious clinical outcome and unpredictable response to immunosuppressive therapy. Triggers of both AIH and PIGCH, such as viral infections, must be excluded, given their treatment implications.

Dairy By-Products: A Review on the Valorization of Whey and Second Cheese Whey.

The search for new food products that promote consumers health has always been of great interest. The dairy industry is perhaps the best example regarding the emergence of new products with claimed health benefits. Cheese whey (CW), the by-product resulting from cheese production, and second cheese whey (SCW), which is the by-product of whey cheese manufacture, have proven to contain potential ingredients for the development of food products with improved nutritional characteristics and other functionalities. Nowadays, due to their nutritional quality, whey products have gained a prominent position among healthy food products. However, for a long time, CW and SCW were usually treated as waste or as animal feed. Due to their high organic content, these by-products can cause serious environmental problems if discarded without appropriate treatment. Small and medium size dairy companies do not have the equipment and structure to process whey and second cheese whey. In these cases, generally, they are used for animal feed or discarded without an appropriate treatment, being the cause of several constraints. There are several studies regarding CW valorization and there is a wide range of whey products in the market. However, in the case of SCW, there remains a lack of studies regarding its nutritional and functional properties, as well as ways to reuse this by-product in order to create economic value and reduce environmental impacts associated to its disposal.

Dairy by-Products Concentrated by Ultrafiltration Used as Ingredients in the Production of Reduced Fat Washed Curd Cheese.

In the following study, three different dairy by-products, previously concentrated by ultrafiltration (UF), were used as ingredients in the production of reduced-fat (RF) washed curd cheeses in order to improve their characteristics. Conventional full-fat (FF) cheeses (45% fat, dry basis (db)) and RF cheeses (20-30% fat, db) were compared to RF cheeses produced with the incorporation of 5% concentrated whey (RF + CW), buttermilk (RF + CB) or sheep second cheese whey (RF + CS). Protein-to-fat ratios were lower than 1 in the FF cheeses, while RF cheeses ranged from 1.8 to 2.8. The tested by-products performed differently when added to the milk used for cheese production. The FF cheese showed a more pronounced yellow colour after 60 and 90 days of ripening, indicating that fat plays an important role regarding this parameter. As far as the texture parameters are concerned, after 60 days of ripening, RF cheeses with buttermilk presented similar results to FF cheeses for hardness (5.0-7.5 N) and chewiness (ca. 400). These were lower than the ones recorded for RF cheeses with added UF concentrated whey (RF + CW) and second cheese whey (RF + CS), which presented lower adhesiveness values. RF cheeses with 5% incorporation of buttermilk concentrated by UF presented the best results concerning both texture and sensory evaluation.

Acute intermittent porphyria: analgesia can be dangerous.

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is a rare condition, a metabolic disorder of the haem biosynthesis. An acute crisis of AIP can present as a combination of symptoms, such as abdominal pain, autonomic dysfunction, hyponatremia, muscle weakness and neurological symptoms in the absence of others obvious causes. We report the case of a 53-year-old woman, who was previously diagnosed with AIP 5 weeks after therapeutic suspension has developed an acute disease exacerbation. During hospitalisation, further exacerbation has occurred after analgesia with metamizole. Glucose and hemin infusions resulted in slow improvement. Physical rehabilitation was crucial to peripheral polyneuropathy recovery. Taking into account the porphyrinogenic effect described for metamizole, this drug might have triggered the second attack. Clinical history was sufficient to suspect the diagnosis and to start the treatment immediately, preventing important sequelae.

Dependence between cognitive impairment and metabolic syndrome applied to a Brazilian elderly dataset.

Globally, the proportion of elderly individuals in the population has increased substantially in the last few decades. However, the risk factors that should be managed in advance to ensure a natural process of mental decline due to aging remain unknown. In this study, a dataset consisting of a Brazilian elderly sample was modelled using a Bayesian Network (BN) approach to uncover connections between cognitive performance measures and potential influence factors. Regarding its structure (a Directed Acyclic Graph), it was investigated the probabilistic dependence mechanism between two variables of medical interest: the suspected risk factor known as Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and the indicator of mental decline referred to as Cognitive Impairment (CI). In this investigation, the concept known in the context of a BN as D-separation has been employed. Results of the conducted study revealed that the dependence between MetS and Cognitive Variables (CI and its direct determinants) in fact exists and depends on both Body Mass Index (BMI) and age.

Trunk biomechanics and its association with hip and knee kinematics in patients with and without patellofemoral pain.

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a common lower extremity condition observed in sports clinics. Recently, it has been suggested that trunk motion could affect hip and knee biomechanics in the frontal plane. Thus, the purpose of the study was compare trunk kinematics, strength and muscle activation between people with PFP and healthy participants. In addition, the associations among trunk biomechanics, hip and knee kinematics were analysed. Thirty people with PFP and thirty pain-free individuals participated. The peak ipsilateral trunk lean, hip adduction, and knee abduction were evaluated with an electromagnetic tracking system, and the surface electromyographic signals of the iliocostalis and external oblique muscle were recorded during single-leg squats. Trunk extension and trunk flexion with rotation isometric strength and side bridge tests were quantified using a handheld dynamometer. Compared with the control group, the PFP group demonstrated increased ipsilateral trunk lean, hip adduction and knee abduction (p = 0.02-0.04) during single-leg squat accompanied with decreased trunk isometric strength (p = < 0.001-0.009). There was no between-group difference in trunk muscle activation. Only in the control group, ipsilateral trunk lean was significantly correlated with hip adduction (r = -0.66) and knee abduction (r = 0.49); also, the side bridge test correlated with knee abduction (r = -0.51). Differences in trunk, hip and knee biomechanics were found in people with PFP. No relationship among trunk, hip and knee biomechanics was found in the PFP group, suggesting that people with PFP show different movement patterns compared to the control group.

Desempenho de genótipos promissores de cana-de-açúcar utilizando ferramentas fisiológicas e biométricas / Performance of promissing sugar cane genotypes using physiological and biometrical tools

O cultivo da cana-de-açúcar no Brasil é uma fonte de renda de grande expressão para a agricultura, principalmente no Nordeste. Assim, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar quatro genótipos de cana-de-açúcar usando indicadores fisiológicos e biométricos em ambiente protegido. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente ao acaso, com quatro tratamentos (genótipo 698B, 712B, 260B e 3B), quatro repetições e uma planta como parcela útil. As mudas foram transplantadas aos 45 dias para vasos de 18 dm3. Aos 154 dias do transplantio foram analisadas as seguintes variáveis: Fluorescência da clorofila a, teores de clorofila a, b e total, teores de prolina, rendimento quântico (PS2), quenching fotoquímio (qP), quenching não-fotoquímico (qN), temperatura foliar (Tfo), altura da planta principal (AP), diâmetro do colmo (DC), número de folhas (NF) e área foliar (AF). As avaliações foram realizadas no período entre as 10h30min e as 12h00min da manhã. Em condições de capacidade de campo os genótipos não apresentaram diferença estatística para os parâmetros de teores de clorofila a, b e total, eficiência fotoquímica máxima do fotossistema II, temperatura foliar. Para teores de prolina o 712B diferenciou-se estaticamente dos demais apresentando maiores teores. Os genótipos também diferiram estatisticamente em relação à altura de planta principal (AP), número de folhas (NF) e área foliar (AF), destacando-se o 698B o 3B em número de folhas e área foliar, enquanto que o 712B e 260B apresentaram menores valores para estes parâmetros. Os genótipos 698B e 3B são os mais promissores para o programa de melhoramento.

The cultivation of the sugar cane in Brazil is a major source of income for agriculture, especially in the Northeast. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate four genotypes of sugar cane using biometric and physiological indicators in a protected environment. The study used a completely randomized design with four treatments (genotype 698B, 712B, 260B and 3B), four replications and one plant as useful plot. The seedlings were transplanted at 45 days to vessels of 18 dm3. At 154 days after transplanting, were analyzed the following variables: Fluorescence of the chlorophyll a, levels of chlorophyll a, b and total, proline contents, quantum yield (PS2), photochemistry quenching (qP), nonphotochemical quenching (qN), leaf temperature (TFO), main plant height (PH), culm diameter (DC), number of leaves (NL) and leaf area (LA). The evaluations were conducted in the period between 10:30 and 12:00 in the morning. In conditions of field capacity genotypes showed no statistical difference for the parameters of levels of chlorophyll a, b and total, photochemical efficiency of photosystem II, leaf temperature. For the 712B, proline contents differentiated itself statistically from the others, showing higher levels. The genotypes also differ statistically with regard to the main plant height (PH), number of leaves (NL) and leaf area (LA), standing out the 698B 3B in the number of leaves and leaf area, while the 712B and 260B had lower values for these parameters. Genotypes 3B and 698B are the most promising for the improvement program.

Frontal plane biomechanics in males and females with and without patellofemoral pain.

PURPOSE: The study's purpose was to compare trunk, pelvis, hip, and knee frontal plane biomechanics in males and females with and without patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) during stepping. METHODS: Eighty recreational athletes were equally divided into four groups: female PFPS, female controls, male PFPS, and male controls. Trunk, pelvis, hip, and knee frontal plane kinematics and activation of the gluteus medius were evaluated at 15°, 30°, 45°, and 60° of knee flexion during the downward and upward phases of the stepping task. Isometric hip abductor torque was also evaluated. RESULTS: Females showed increased hip adduction and knee abduction at all knee flexion angles, greater ipsilateral trunk lean and contralateral pelvic drop from 60° of knee flexion till the end of the stepping task (P = 0.027-0.001), diminished hip abductor torque (P < 0.001), and increased gluteus medius activation than males (P = 0.008-0.001). PFPS subjects presented increased knee abduction at all the angles evaluated; greater trunk, pelvis, and hip motion from 45° of knee flexion of the downward phase till the end of the maneuver; and diminished gluteus medius activation at 60° of knee flexion, compared with controls (P = 0.034-0.001). Females with PFPS showed lower hip abductor torque compared with the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Females presented with altered frontal plane biomechanics that may predispose them to knee injury. PFPS subjects showed frontal plane biomechanics that could increase the lateral patellofemoral joint stress at all the angles evaluated and could increase even more from 45° of knee flexion in the downward phase until the end of the maneuver. Hip abductor strengthening and motor control training should be considered when treating females with PFPS.