Decision support system for NPK fertilization: a solution method for minimizing the impact on human health, climate change, ecosystem quality and resources.

Sugarcane cultivation requires correct fertilizer rates. However, when nutrients are not available, or there is over-fertilization, the yields are significantly reduced and the environmental burden increase. In this study, it is proposed a decision support system (DSS) for the correct NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) fertilization. The DSS consists of two fuzzy models; the edaphic condition model (EDC-M) and the NPK fertilization model (NPK-M). The DSS using parameters from soil analysis and is based on the experience of two groups of experts to avoid the bias to the reality of a single group of professionals. The results of the DSS are compared with the results of soil analysis and those of the group of experts. One hundred and sixty tests were developed in the NPK-M. The N rate shows R 2=0.981 for the DSS and R 2=0.963 for soil analyzes. The P rate shows R 2=0.9702 for the DSS and R 2=0.9183 for the soil analyzes. The K rate shows R 2=0.9691 for the DSS and R 2=0.9663 for the soil analyzes. Environmental results indicate that the estimated rates with the DSS do reduce the environmental impact on the tests performed.

Stable conjugates of peptides with gold nanorods for biomedical applications with reduced effects on cell viability.

Gold nanorods used in therapy and diagnosis must be nontoxic and stable in biological media and should be specific for the target. The complete combination of these three factors has hindered the use of gold nanorods as carriers in biological and biomedical applications. In this study, we produced a conjugate of gold nanorods with the peptide CLPFFD that recognizes toxic ß-amyloid aggregates present in Alzheimer's disease, demonstrates colloidal stability, maintains plasmonic properties, and shows no effects on cell viability in the SH-SY5Y cell line. Furthermore, the irradiation of ß-amyloid in the presence of the conjugate with near-infrared region irradiation energy reduces the amyloidogenic process reducing also its cytotoxicity. The nanorods were synthesized following the seed-mediated method in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and were conjugated with the N-terminal cysteine peptide, CLPFFD. The conjugate was exhaustively characterized using different techniques (Absorption spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and zeta potential). The effects on cell viability and cell penetration by transmission electron microscopy of the conjugate were evaluated. The chemisorption of the peptide on the surface of gold nanorods increases their stability and reduces their effects on cell viability.