scholarly journals Frugivorous butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) as a habitat quality indicator in Cerrado urban fragment

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. e904
Author(s):  
Ieza Aparecida Teles Porath ◽  
Rodrigo Aranda
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Biological Indicators ◽  
Environmental Indicator ◽  
Efficient Tool ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Significant Difference

The environmental monitoring programs used to assess the quality of the habitats are often common to insects, mainly as frugivorous butterflies, as easily accessible biological indicators. These have ample availability of information, an easy to perform and low cost study method, in addition to responding easily to environmental changes, making it an efficient tool in environmental diagnosis. The way or objective of this work was to inventory as frugivorous butterflies in two different points, edge and center of an urban fragment belonging to the Universidade Federal de Rondonópolis, state of Mato Grosso, using as an environmental indicator. As a hypothesis, it was believed to detect differences in species richness, the amount of composition and composition between two areas. A sampling was carried out between the months of February and May 2019, using 10 Van Someren-Rydon weapons, of which six were distributed at the edges and four in the center (interior) of the fragment. Take place as trapped collections once a week lasting three days at each event. 105 individuals belonging to nine species of Nymphalidae were captured, respectively, as subfamilies: Biblidinae (71), Satyrinae (31) and Charaxinae (03). There was no significant difference between species richness, quantity and composition in the edge area and in the center of the fragment.

scholarly journals Quality of eyeglass prescriptions from a low-cost wavefront autorefractor evaluated in rural India: results of a 708-participant field study

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. e000225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J Durr ◽  
Shivang R Dave ◽  
Daryl Lim ◽  
Sanil Joseph ◽  
Thulasiraj D Ravilla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Form Factor ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Rural India ◽  
Resource Setting ◽  
Low Resource Setting ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Minimum Angle ◽  
The Mean

ObjectiveTo assess the quality of eyeglass prescriptions provided by an affordable wavefront autorefractor operated by a minimally trained technician in a low-resource setting.Methods and Analysis708 participants were recruited from consecutive patients registered for routine eye examinations at Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, India, or an affiliated rural satellite vision centre. Visual acuity (VA) and patient preference were compared between trial lenses set to two eyeglass prescriptions from (1) a novel wavefront autorefractor and (2) subjective refraction by an experienced refractionist.ResultsThe mean±SD VA was 0.30±0.37, –0.02±0.14 and −0.04±0.11 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution units before correction, with autorefractor correction and with subjective refraction correction, respectively (all differences p<0.01). Overall, 25% of participants had no preference, 33% preferred eyeglass prescriptions from autorefraction, and 42% preferred eyeglass prescriptions from subjective refraction (p<0.01). Of the 438 patients 40 years old and younger, 96 had no preference and the remainder had no statistically significant difference in preference for subjective refraction prescriptions (51%) versus autorefractor prescriptions (49%) (p=0.52).ConclusionAverage VAs from autorefractor-prescribed eyeglasses were one letter worse than those from subjective refraction. More than half of all participants either had no preference or preferred eyeglasses prescribed by the autorefractor. This marginal difference in quality may warrant autorefractor-based prescriptions, given the portable form factor, short measurement time, low cost and minimal training required to use the autorefractor evaluated here.

Yoga in women undergoing treatment for breast cancer: Impact on quality of life in a randomized controlled trial.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 527-527
Author(s):  
Nita S. Nair ◽  
Nishu Singh Goel ◽  
Rohini W Hawaldar ◽  
Shabina Siddique ◽  
Vani Parmar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Adjuvant Therapy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Disease Free Survival ◽  
Complementary Therapy ◽  
Significant Difference

527 Background: Yoga has been tested in multiple small-randomized studies for its impact on quality of life (QOL) on breast cancer (BC). We propose to study the effect of yoga on disease free survival as the primary endpoint in women with operable breast cancer. (Study methodology details refer to NCT02161900). Methods: Women with non-metastatic BC were randomized to yoga and conventional exercise (YCE) versus conventional exercise only (CE) in addition to standard therapy. Over and above documentation of recurrence and death, QOL was assessed in these women using the EORTC QLQC30, BR23, Brief fatigue inventory (BFI), Visual pain scores (VPS) and a spirituality questionnaire (SQ). EORTC QLQ was assessed at baseline (BL), 6-9 months (mo), 18-21 mo. BFI and VPS at BL, 6-8 mo and 12-15 mo and SQ at BL and 12-15 mo. We report the first interim analysis of QOL in 605 patients randomized to the study with atleast 1 year of follow up. The groups were balanced in both arms with respect to clinico-pathological factors. Results: At 6-9 mo (completion of adjuvant therapy), there was no significant difference in global QOL scores (p = 0.08), however 52% women on YCE showed an improvement from baseline compared to 42% in CE. At 18-21 mo emotional function scores were better in YCE (p = 0.002); with lesser systemic side effects in YCE arm (44% vs 56% p = NS). The median score of fatigue after adjuvant therapy measured by QLQ C30 was lower in YCE (17.37vs22.22, p = 0.003) which was similar to that observed by BFI at 12-15 mo (1.6vs 2, p = 0.04). Also in YCE there was lower reporting of detriment in general activity (41%vs 59%) and mood (34%vs66%) (p = NS). In VPS at 12-15mo, the median scores for pain intensity (p = 0.042), pain on movement (p = 0.038), pain on mobilization (p = 0.008) were lower in YCE. Lastly SQ assessed spirituality and showed no difference, but less deterioration compared to baseline scores in YCE. Conclusions: Yoga did not show a significant difference in global QOL but had a major benefit reaching statistical significance in fatigue, emotional score and pain. Yoga is a low-risk, low-cost complementary therapy that may improve compliance to therapy by improving parameters that can affect day-to-day activity in women with breast cancer. Clinical trial information: NCT02161900.

scholarly journals Learning curve evaluation upskilling retinal imaging using smartphones

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linus G. Jansen ◽  
Payal Shah ◽  
Bettina Wabbels ◽  
Frank G. Holz ◽  
Robert P. Finger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Image Quality ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
Retinal Images ◽  
Fundus Imaging ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Examination Time ◽  
Significant Difference

AbstractSmartphone-based fundus imaging (SBFI) is a low-cost approach for screening of various ophthalmic diseases and particularly suited to resource limited settings. Thus, we assessed how best to upskill alternative healthcare cadres in SBFI and whether quality of obtained images is comparable to ophthalmologists. Ophthalmic assistants and ophthalmologists received a standardized training to SBFI (Heine iC2 combined with an iPhone 6) and 10 training examinations for capturing central retinal images. Examination time, total number of images, image alignment, usable field-of-view, and image quality (sharpness/focus, reflex artifacts, contrast/illumination) were analyzed. Thirty examiners (14 ophthalmic assistants and 16 ophthalmologists) and 14 volunteer test subjects were included. Mean examination time (1st and 10th training, respectively: 2.17 ± 1.54 and 0.56 ± 0.51 min, p < .0001), usable field-of-view (92 ± 16% and 98 ± 6.0%, p = .003) and image quality in terms of sharpness/focus (p = .002) improved by the training. Examination time was significantly shorter for ophthalmologists compared to ophthalmic assistants (10th training: 0.35 ± 0.21 and 0.79 ± 0.65 min, p = .011), but there was no significant difference in usable field-of-view and image quality. This study demonstrates the high learnability of SBFI with a relatively short training and mostly comparable results across healthcare cadres. The results will aid implementing and planning further SBFI field studies.

Species Richness and Community Composition of Ants and Beetles in Bt and non-Bt Maize Fields

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 1095-1103
Author(s):  
Marcos Gino Fernandes ◽  
Eduardo Neves Costa ◽  
Carla Cristina Dutra ◽  
Josué Raizer
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ground Beetle ◽  
Ground Beetles ◽  
Bt Maize ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Nontarget Organisms ◽  
Gm Plants ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Impact On Biodiversity

AbstractInsect-resistant genetically modified (GM) plants have been cultivated in several countries on a large scale. These plants express the Cry toxins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bacillales: Bacillaceae) (Bt), which confers target-pest resistance to plants. Studies on the effects of GM plants on nontarget organisms are important to assess the technology’s impact on biodiversity. The objective of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the species richness and composition of ants and ground beetles in Bt maize (four different toxins: Cry1Ab, Cry1F, and Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab2) and conventional isoline (non-Bt) fields, in the first (summer) and second (winter) cropping seasons in 13 localities of Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, over a 2-yr period (2009–2011). The assessment of Coleoptera and Formicidae species was performed using pitfall traps placed in fields throughout the period of vegetative growth and maturation of plants. Data were analyzed using faunistic indices of species richness, ordination by nonmetric multidimensional scaling, and multivariate analysis of variance. No statistically significant difference was found in the species richness of ant and ground beetle communities when comparing sites of Bt with those of non-Bt maize. Overall, Bt technology did not affect the composition of ant and ground beetles; however, municipality and cropping season exerted influence on the beetle composition. Some species were only observed in the first crop, whereas others were only observed in the second crop. This research suggests that Bt maize does not affect ant and ground beetle populations differently from its isoline.

scholarly journals Comparisons of Four Methods for Thinning Eucalyptus Hybrid Coppice Shoots in Brazil

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Nilton Cesar Fiedler ◽  
Ricardo Pinheiro Cabral ◽  
Adriano Ribeiro de Mendonça ◽  
Weslen Pintor Canzian ◽  
Antonio Henrique Cordeiro Ramalho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Eucalyptus Grandis ◽  
Mechanical Damage ◽  
Operation Time ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Homogeneity Of Variances ◽  
Randomized Design ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean

Both manual and semi-mechanized systems are used for operations involved in coppice remodeling. Thus, there is a paradigm about the higher yield of semi-mechanized operations compared to manual operations. However, the small volume of research on this subject does not present data which is capable of confirming this hypothesis. Thus, the present study aimed to perform a technical analysis of costs, quality and productivity of different methods for conducting regrowth in Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla hybrid plantations under coppice regeneration in areas of forest fostering. The experiment was conducted under a completely randomized design with four treatments (sprouting methods) and four replications in plots of 360m² each. The methods used were: brushcutter, sickle, machete and hand digger. An F-test (p <0.05) was performed to verify the differentiation between treatments for a given characteristic after verifying the normal distribution of data and homogeneity of variances. The means were compared by analysis of variance at the 5% significance level to analyze if there was significant difference between the operating times in the analyzed methods. An estimate of the costs per hectare was subsequently obtained in each offspring method and the quality of the operation was evaluated by observing the frequency of damage to the remaining trunk. The mean operation time of the methods did not differ significantly (p> 0.05). The brushcutter presented the highest cost per hectare (US$ 40,06/ha-1) and the excavator presented the lowest (US$ 18,65/ha-1). Spreading with the brushcutter presented the lowest percentage of mechanical damage (6.88%) and the sickle obtained the highest (20.63%). It was concluded that the operation with brushcutter was the method that provided the highest productivity, but has the highest operational cost, making the method with brushcutter, advantageous for its low cost, associated with a satisfactory productivity.

Ansiedade Versus Alterações do Padrão de Sono-Vigília em Estudantes de Medicina

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 232
Author(s):  
Luciana Paes de Andrade ◽  
Alessandra Penteado de Souza ◽  
Ana Fávia Penteado Souza ◽  
Gabriela Tomasi Batiston ◽  
Giovanni Pereira Camacho Roque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Stress Studies ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
Mato Grosso Do Sul ◽  
De Medicina ◽  
Epworth Scale

O Curso de Medicina está associado com níveis elevados de ansiedade e de qualidade do sono ruim, refletindo nos profissionais da área daSaúde, que ocupam o terceiro lugar da classificação com maior intensidade de estresse. Estudos relatam que estudantes de medicina dormem menos durante a semana, e por consequência, há diminuição no desempenho acadêmico. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade do sono e sonolência/insônia relacionadas com a ansiedade entre os estudantes de Medicina das Universidades Anhanguera Uniderp e Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, em Campo Grande/MS, em 2016. Após a aprovação do CEP, iniciou-se a coleta de dados através de questionários, entre maio a junho de 2016. Foram avaliados 558 alunos da Uniderp e da UFMS do 1º ao 4º ano e se evidenciou que entre os alunos da Uniderp, cursando o quarto período, de acordo com as escalas de Hamilton (Ansiedade) e Epworth (Sonolência), foi significantemente menor do que os alunos que cursavam o primeiro período (teste do qui-quadrado, escala de Hamilton (Ansiedade): p=0,025; escala Epworth (Sonolência): p=0,019, com correção de Bonferroni, p<0,05). O mesmo não foi observado entre os alunos da UFMS (p=0,444 e p=0,392, respectivamente). Em relação ao percentual de alunos com alteração na escala de Pittsburgh (Sonolência), não ocorreu significativamente diferença entre os períodos, em ambas as IES (UFMS: p=0,948; Uniderp, p=0,705). Concluiu-se que, preponderantemente, os acadêmicos das duas instituições apresentam alterações tanto de sono quanto de ansiedade e sonolência excessiva diurna, devendo haver um olhar mais atento a estes quesitos. Palavras-chave: Qualidade de Sono. Sonolência. Aprendizado Baseado em Problemas.AbstractThe Medical school is associated with high levels of anxiety and poor sleeping quality, reflecting in the health professionals’ health, whooccupy the third place of the classification with greater intensity of stress. Studies reported that medical students sleep less during the week, and consequently decreases their academic performance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of sleeping and anxiety related to sleepiness/insomnia among medical students of Uniderp and the Federal of Mato Grosso do Sul Universities, in Campo Grande-MS, in 2016. The data collection was started through questionnaires between May and June of 2016. The study evaluated a total of 558 students from theboth universities from the 1st to the 4th period. It was evidenced that among the Uniderp students, those in the fourth period obtained resultsof the Hamilton (Anxiety) and Epworth (Sleepiness) scales significantly lower than the students who attended the first period (chi-square test,Hamilton’s scale (Anxiety): p = 0.025; Epworth scale (Sleepiness): p = 0.019, with Bonferroni correction, p <0.05). The same was not observedamong UFMS students (p = 0.444 and p = 0.392, respectively). In relation to the percentage of students with changes in the Pittsburgh scale (Sleepiness), there was no significant difference between the periods in both universities (UFMS: p = 0.948; Uniderp: p = 0.705). It was concluded that the academics of both institutions present alterations in sleeping , anxiety and excessive daytime sleepiness, and there should be a closer look at these questions.Keywords: Sleeping Quality. Somnolence. Problem-Based Learning.

scholarly journals Chemical characterization and effects of volatile oil of Alpinia zerumbet on the quality of collagen deposition and caveolin-1 expression in a muscular fibrosis murine model

2024 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. S. C. Batista ◽  
G. S. Barros ◽  
F. C. Damasceno ◽  
E. A. F. Cândido ◽  
M. V. A. Batista
Keyword(s):  
Gastrocnemius Muscle ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Chemical Characterization ◽  
Volatile Oil ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Caveolin 1 ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Alpinia Zerumbet

Abstract This study evaluated the effect of the volatile oil of Alpinia zerumbet (VOAz) on caveolin-1 gene expression and muscular fibrosis. The rats were immobilized to induce fibrosis of the gastrocnemius muscle, and they were treated with VOAz. Collagen quality was assessed by histology and the expression of the caveolin-1 (CAV-1) gene was evaluated using qPCR. Histomorphological analysis indicated a significant reduction in the perimeter, width, and intensity of collagen in the treated groups, thus showing that the oil was effective in regulating the quality of collagen at the three concentrations. The results of expression levels suggested a decrease in the lesioned group and in two treatment groups (0.0115 µg/g and 0.009 µg/g). However, with the lowest concentration (0.0065 µg/g), no significant difference was observed, with levels similar to those found in healthy tissue. Therefore, the results showed that VOAz has the potential to be a non-invasive and low-cost alternative to aid in the treatment of muscular fibrosis.

scholarly journals KUALITAS PAKAN FERMENTATIF BERBAHAN KULIT UBI KAYU DENGAN INOKULAN MEP+ UNTUK KULTUR IKAN NILA GESIT (Oreochromis niloticus L.)

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 141
Author(s):  
Cahiadir Ali Akbar ◽  
Sukanto Sukanto ◽  
Siti Rukayah
Keyword(s):  
Oreochromis Niloticus ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Fish Farming ◽  
Progressive Increase ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
High Price ◽  
Nutrient Contents ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Local Materials

Feed is a major component in fish farming. However, the relatively high price of feed is very burdensome for fish farmers. Therefore a relatively low-cost solution is needed to address that problem. The use of local materials such as bran, waste mushroom, tofu, onggok starch, and skin cassava can be utilized as an alternative to reduce the needs of imported materials. However, the local materials have constraints regarding nutrition and digestibility, so an appropriate technology is required to overcome this. Improving the quality of the feed can be done by fermentation. Fermentation works by breaking macromolecules such as carbohydrates and amino acids into micromolecules, so the absorption of feed nutrients in the fish intestines become more efficient. The use of inoculants MEP+ aimed to improve the digestibility of feed, detoxification and increased the productivity of tilapia GESIT (Oreochromis niloticus). This study aimed to determine the effect of fermentation on enhancing the quality of feed nutrients made from cassava skin chips by the application of inoculant MEP+. The study was carried out experimentally using a complete randomized design. The independent variable in this study was the type of feed. Observed dependent variable was feed quality. The main parameter measured was the proximate level. Supporting parameter was the growth of tilapia GESIT. The results showed a progressive increase in the levels of nutrients of feed fermented in each treatment. The increments were recorded in treatment A from 16.15 became 21.64, in B from 13.21 became 15.46, in C from 9.66 became 11.53, and in D from 8.34 became 9.87. This result implies that the use of MEP+ fermentation inoculants could boost the nutritional content of food, with an average of the increment value of 11-15%. The increment of nutrient contents in each treatment was also affected the weight gain of fish although no significant difference were observed.

scholarly journals INFLUENCE OF LAND USE AND OCCUPATION IN THE QUALITY OF SURFACE WATER IN THE PARAGUAI / DIAMANTINO BASIN, MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL

GEOGRAFIA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-200
Author(s):  
Adriana Ferreira LIMA ◽  
Edinéia Aparecida dos Santos GALVANIN ◽  
Sandra Mara Alves da Silva NEVES ◽  
Danielle STORCK-TONON
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Spatial Distance ◽  
Simple Type ◽  
Land Occupation ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Total Solids ◽  
Significant Difference

This study aims to evaluate the influence of land use and occupation at diferente scales on the quality of surface water of the Paraguay/Diamantino basin, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Statistical tests were used to verify if there is a difference between scales at each point. Land use and land occupation analysis was performed using images from the RapidEye satellite. An unsupervised classification of the images was performed, and hree classes of land use were defined: Evergreen Seasonal Forest, Cerrado and Anthropic Uses. Using ArcGIS software, the scales were defined using the multibuffer tool with radius of 50, 500 and 1000 meters in the vicinity of each sample point. The sample collections were of the simple type, on surface in 9 points of the main tributaries of the basin. ANOVA indicated a significant difference of turbidity in the rain and drought periods, which did not occur with the Total Solids. The analysis indicated a negative correlation between total Solids and the Evergreen Seasonal Forest class. They also showed a similarity in relation to Total Solids and Turbidity, being influenced by the spatial distance between the points

scholarly journals Quality of eyeglass prescriptions from a low-cost wavefront autorefractor evaluated in rural India: results of a 708-participant field study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Durr ◽  
Shivang R. Dave ◽  
Daryl Lim ◽  
Sanil Joseph ◽  
Thulasiraj D Ravilla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Form Factor ◽  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Rural India ◽  
Low Resource ◽  
Resource Setting ◽  
Low Resource Setting ◽  
Significant Difference

ABSTACTAimTo assess the quality of eyeglass prescriptions provided by an affordable wavefront autorefractor operated by a minimally-trained technician in a low-resource setting.Methods708 participants were recruited from consecutive patients registered for routine eye examinations at Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, India, or an affiliated rural satellite vision centre. Visual acuity (VA) and patient preference were compared for eyeglasses prescribed from a novel wavefront autorefractor versus eyeglasses prescribed from subjective refraction by an experienced refractionist.ResultsMean ± standard deviation VA was 0.30 ± 0.37, −0.02 ± 0.14, and −0.04 ± 0.11 LogMAR units before correction, with autorefractor correction, and with subjective refraction correction, respectively (all differences P < 0.01). Overall, 25% of participants had no preference, 33% preferred eyeglasses from autorefractor prescriptions, and 42% preferred eyeglasses from subjective refraction prescriptions (P < 0.01). Of the 438 patients 40 years old and younger, 96 had no preference and the remainder had no statistically-significant difference in preference for subjective refraction prescriptions (51%) versus autorefractor prescriptions (49%) (P = 0.52).ConclusionsAverage VAs from autorefractor-prescribed eyeglasses were one letter worse than those from subjective refraction. More than half of all participants either had no preference or preferred eyeglasses prescribed by the autorefractor. This marginal difference in quality may warrant autorefractor-based prescriptions, given the portable form-factor, short measurement time, low-cost, and minimal training required to use the autorefractor evaluated here.SYNOPSISEyeglass prescriptions can be accurately measured by a minimally-trained technician using a low-cost wavefront autorefractor in rural India. Objective refraction may be a feasible approach to increasing eyeglass accessibility in low-resource settings.

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