The high production costs in agriculture have guiding the adoption of farming systems and new management techniques as well as the sizing of agricultural machinery. In this regard, planning entails knowledge on the efficiency according to the energy requirements parameters, so the farmer shall consider the characteristics of the soil on which the implement operates. The performance assessment of sowing-fertilize machines shows the effect of some variables on the draft requirement, so the experimental conditions, which might lead to different outcomes of implement operation, must be regarded. Therefore, it is necessary obtain metanalytical estimates to integrate the results available in the literature. Grounded on systematic review, this study aimed to model the draft imposed by sowing-fertilizing machines considering fixed effects, mainly soil characteristics, and random effects associated to the selected experiments. It was found that the best models according to information criteria may not always meet the assumptions as normality of the distribution of residuals and homoscedasticity. The variables such as bulk density of soil, stubble conditions, depth of fertilizer placement, and speed could accurately explain the draft requirement with mean squared deviation of 2.93 whereas the referred evaluator for the ASABE standard was 63.51. Forthcoming works may analyze the repeatability of the models considering different seeders under diverse configurations and operation conditions

A biomass amino silica-functionalized material was successfully prepared by a simple sol–gel method. 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) was added to a tannin-rich grape residue to improve its physicochemical properties and enhance the adsorption performance. The APTES functionalization led to significant changes in the material’s characteristics. The functionalized material was efficiently applied in the removal of methyl orange (MO) due to its unique characteristics, such as an abundance of functional groups on its surface. The adsorption process suggests that the electrostatic interactions were the main acting mechanism of the MO dye removal, although other interactions can also take place. The functionalized biomass achieved a very high MO dye maximum adsorption capacity ( Q max ) of 361.8 mg g –1 . The temperature positively affected the MO removal, and the thermodynamic studies indicated that the adsorption of MO onto APTES-functionalized biomass was spontaneous and endothermic, and enthalpy is driven in the physisorption mode. The regeneration performance revealed that the APTES-functionalized biomass material could be easily recycled and reused by maintaining very good performance even after five cycles. The adsorbent material was also employed to treat two simulated dye house effluents, which showed 48% removal. At last, the APTES biomass-based material may find significant applications as a multifunctional adsorbent and can be used further to separate pollutants from wastewater.

Gene delivery, biosensing-based diagnostic therapy, and in vivo responsive drugs are promising technologies based on the interaction of DNA with supports on the nanoscale. Typical advantages for nanomaterials applied in DNA removal are related to their high surface area and availability of cationic sites that favor the electrostatic interaction with the target (DNA). Herein, a magnetite-doped cationic polymer was explored as a support for the production of electrospun fibers that offer an abundance of the available sites for the adsorption of DNA while exploring the doping effect of magnetite for the improvement in the adsorption capacity and the magnetic removal from the reactor. The mechanisms of adsorption revealed that the Freundlich isotherm prevails in a process denoted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model.

The development of alternatives to conventional antibiotics against superbugs represents an important step to avoid the increasing resistance of bacteria observed in conventional treatments. Herein, it was evaluated the influence of different combinations of two active antibacterial components (chitosan and zinc oxide) and a host poly (vinyl alcohol - PVA) in membranes produced by the solvent casting technique. Those systems were evaluated in terms of the biofilm inactivation, kill-time assays and inhibition haloes against S. aureus (ATCC 25923) in membranes that must release reactive components while preserving their integrity and favoring the generation of reactive species to improve the antibacterial activity. The results suggest the potential of the combination of chitosan, zinc oxide and poly (vinyl alcohol) to inhibit the growth of S. aureus colonies since the PVA improved the dispersion of the components, whereas chitosan-ZnO chelate improves the mutual activity of the metal oxide and the natural polymer template.

A interação entre células e nanoestruturas poliméricas vem sendo considerado um importante tema para a biotecnologia. As fibras eletrofiadas apresentam estruturas porosas na ordem de submícrons com características que mimetizam os componentes fibrilares da matriz extracelular natural, favorecendo a atuação local efetiva de sistemas bioativos. A complexação de ácidos nucleicos com essas fibras e sua utilização em terapias de recuperação funcional e regeneração tecidual podem ser alternativas ao transplante celular e aos sistemas de entrega de proteínas indutivas. Na customização do perfil de interação entre essas matrizes e o material genético, é relevante manter a disponibilidade de seus tipos moleculares em concentrações efetivas no microambiente, com maior expressão gênica e maior tempo de ação terapêutica. Ao se buscar equilíbrio entre eficiência de transfecção e a viabilidade celular, diferentes estratégias são seguidas, como a incorporação de polinucleotídeos em soluções poliméricas ou em emulsões antes do processo de eletrofiação, ou mesmo a funcionalização de nanofibras pela modificação de sua superfície. Diante disso, esta revisão tem por finalidade apresentar os diferentes métodos de produção de nanofibras eletrofiadas funcionalizadas com ácidos nucleicos e suas aplicações na área da saúde.

Na agricultura familiar, o crescimento da mecanização se dá em razão da otimização das operações periódicas e redução do esforço físico do produtor. Desta forma, objetivou-se com a realização do trabalho, determinar o desempenho operacional de um motocultivador da marca MTD modelo GOLD, operando em quatro profundidades, dois sentidos de giro das facas e três tipos de combustíveis, utilizando o delineamento inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial de 4x2x3, e os resultados submetidos ao teste de Tukey, onde foi avaliado a o desempenho operacional e energético. Observou-se que para as facas girando no sentido reverso ao sentido de deslocamento, apresentou redução na velocidade de deslocamento e na capacidade de campo efetiva e aumento da patinagem e consumo de combustível, enquanto para as facas girando no sentido de avanço o comportamento foi oposto. Observou-se, também, que o equipamento utilizando gasolina comum mostrou maior consumo de combustível na maioria dos tratamentos. A utilização da mistura de gasolina e etanol proporcionou menor custo operacional por hectare.