Deciphering the weathering processes using environmental mineralogy and geochemistry: Towards an integrated model of laterite and podzol genesis in the Upper Amazon Basin

This article reports major results from collaborative research between France and Brazil on soil and water systems, carried out in the Upper Amazon Basin. It reveals the weathering processes acting in the partly inundated, low elevation plateaus of the Basin, mostly covered by evergreen forest. Our findings are based on geochemical data and mineral spectroscopy that probe the crystal chemistry of Fe and Al in mineral phases (mainly kaolinite, Al- and Fe-(hydr)oxides) of tropical soils (laterites). These techniques reveal crystal alterations in mineral populations of different ages and changes of metal speciation associated with mineral or organic phases. These results provide an integrated model of soil formation and changes (from laterites to podzols) in distinct hydrological compartments of the Amazon landscapes and under altered water regimes. (C) 2010 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Leaf area index estimation with MODIS reflectance time series and model inversion during full rotations of Eucalyptus plantations

The leaf area index (LAI) of fast-growing Eucalyptus plantations is highly dynamic both seasonally and interannually, and is spatially variable depending on pedo-climatic conditions. LAI is very important in determining the carbon and water balance of a stand, but is difficult to measure during a complete stand rotation and at large scales. Remote-sensing methods allowing the retrieval of LAI time series with accuracy and precision are therefore necessary. Here, we tested two methods for LAI estimation from MODIS 250m resolution red and near-infrared (NIR) reflectance time series. The first method involved the inversion of a coupled model of leaf reflectance and transmittance (PROSPECT4), soil reflectance (SOILSPECT) and canopy radiative transfer (4SAIL2). Model parameters other than the LAI were either fixed to measured constant values, or allowed to vary seasonally and/or with stand age according to trends observed in field measurements. The LAI was assumed to vary throughout the rotation following a series of alternately increasing and decreasing sigmoid curves. The parameters of each sigmoid curve that allowed the best fit of simulated canopy reflectance to MODIS red and NIR reflectance data were obtained by minimization techniques. The second method was based on a linear relationship between the LAI and values of the GEneralized Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (GESAVI), which was calibrated using destructive LAI measurements made at two seasons, on Eucalyptus stands of different ages and productivity levels. The ability of each approach to reproduce field-measured LAI values was assessed, and uncertainty on results and parameter sensitivities were examined. Both methods offered a good fit between measured and estimated LAI (R(2) = 0.80 and R(2) = 0.62 for model inversion and GESAVI-based methods, respectively), but the GESAVI-based method overestimated the LAI at young ages. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mendelian inheritance, linkage and linkage disequilibrium in microsatellite loci of Copaifera langsdorffii Desf.

Copaifera langsdorffii is a Neotropical tree with wide distribution in the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest and savanna. Although eight microsatellite loci (SSR) were developed in 2000 and have been widely used since then, there is yet no information about their inheritance, linkage and linkage disequilibrium (LD). Through the analysis of 28 open-pollinated (OP) progenies, the SSR loci revealed Mendelian inheritance and independent assortment. Using these progenies, young and adult trees LD was mainly detected in OP progenies. Our results show clear evidence that the eight SSR loci can be used without restriction in genetic diversity, mating system and parentage analysis.

Stone fruit injuries and damage at the wholesale market of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Mechanical injuries and diseases in stone fruit are important causes for market rejection. The objectives of this research were to quantify and characterize the mechanical injuries and diseases in peaches, nectarines and plums at Sao Paulo`s wholesale market, the largest in Brazil. Incidence of injuries was assessed weekly in 1 % of the marketed fruit (2973 fruit/week), from September to December in 2003 and 2004. Mechanical injuries were the most frequent injuries in both years, ranging from 8.73% (plum) to 44.5% (nectarine) of injured fruit. There was a significant positive correlation between the incidence of postharvest mechanical injuries and postharvest diseases. Incidence of postharvest diseases varied from 2.5% to 6.6%. Cladosporium rot (Cladosporium sp.) and brown rot (Monilinia fructicola) were the most frequent diseases, and were mostly detected in the apexes of nectarines and peaches. Aurora (peach), Sunraycer (nectarine) and Gulfblaze (plum) varieties were the most susceptible to injuries and diseases. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Correlation between sensory and chemical markers in the evaluation of Brazil nut oxidative shelf-life

Sensory analysis is one of the most suitable processes for measuring oxidative damage and determining the shelf-life of nuts, but it is an expensive and time-consuming methodology. Thus, our objective was to correlate sensory data and chemical markers obtained during the accelerated oxidation of Brazil nuts and to determine the chemical parameters values associated with the sensory shelf-life of the nuts as established by the consumers. Brazil nuts were kept at 80 A degrees C for 21 days. At intervals of 2 days, the oxidized odor of the samples was analyzed by nine trained panelists using a discriminative scale, and the oil was extracted to quantify the chemical parameters. A high (r > 0.95) and significant correlation (p < 0.05) was observed between the sensory data and the hydroperoxide concentration (PV), para-anisidine value (pAV), hexanal content, and alpha- and gamma-tocopherol concentrations. When compared with fresh samples, sensory identification of oxidized odor occurred on the 4th day, noticeably earlier than changes in chemical markers (12th day). Consumers rejected the nuts after 12 days of storage, which corresponded to PV = 18.8 meq kg(-1) oil, pAV = 7.68, hexanal = 48.95 mu mol 100 g(-1) oil, alpha-tocopherol = 15.01 mg kg(-1) oil, and gamma + beta-tocopherol = 73.88 mg kg(-1) oil. Our study suggests that simple spectrometric methods, such as PV and pAV, can be used to estimate the oxidative shelf-life of nuts based on sensory analysis.

Consumer`s evaluation of the effects of gamma irradiation and natural antioxidants on general acceptance of frozen beef burger

The effect of addition of rosemary and oregano extracts on the sensory quality of irradiated beef burger was investigated. Batches of beef burgers were prepared with 400 ppm of rosemary or oregano extract and a group prepared with 200 ppm of synthetic butyl-hydroxytoluene (BHT)/butyl-hydroxy-anisol (BHA) was used as a control. Half of each formulation was irradiated at the maximum dose allowed for frozen meat (7 kGy). Samples were kept under frozen conditions (-20 degrees C) during the whole storage period, including during irradiation. Two analyses were performed after 20 and 90 days to verify the influence of the addition of the different types of antioxidants and the effect of irradiation and storage time on the acceptance of the product. Thirty-three and thirty-four untrained panelists were invited to participate in the first and second test, respectively. A structured hedonic scale ranging from 1 to 9 points was used in both analyses. BHT/BHA formulation obtained the highest score (6.73) and regarding the natural antioxidants, oregano received better acceptance (6.36). Irradiated samples formulated with oregano received a lower score, 6.03 in the first test and 5.06 in the second one, compared to the non-irradiated sample (6.36 and 5.79). In the second test (90 days), the sample formulated with BHT/BHA and which was irradiated received a higher score (6.59) when compared to the non-irradiated one (5.85). In both tests, the irradiated samples formulated with rosemary extract obtained a better score compared to the non-irradiated one, the scores being 5.00-3.82 and 5.00-3.76 in the first and second test, respectively. Our results allowed us to conclude that the natural antioxidants, rosemary and oregano extracts, present a good alternative for replacing synthetic additives in food industries, and that the irradiation process, in some cases, may help to enhance the sensory quality of food. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cu and Fe metallic ions-mediated oxidation of low-density lipoproteins studied by NMR, TEM and Z-scan technique

In this work we report on a study of the morphological changes of LDL induced in vitro by metallic ions (Cu(2+) and Fe(3+)). These modifications were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and the Z-scan technique. The degree of oxidative modification of LDL was determined by the TBARS and lipid hydroperoxides assays. It is shown that distinct pathways for modifying lipoproteins lead to different morphological transformations of the particles characterized by changes in size and/or shape of the resulting particles, and by the tendency to induce aggregation of the particles. There were no evidence of melting of particles promoted by oxidative processes with Cu and Fe. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Organophosphate and carbamate poisonings in the northwest of Parana state, Brazil from 1994 to 2005: clinical and epidemiological aspects

In the present study, clinical and epidemiological aspects of 529 intoxication cases of organophosphate or carbamate pesticides in the northwest of the state of Parana, Brazil, over a twelve-year period (1994-2005), are presented. One hundred-five of 257 patients (40.8%) who attempted suicide were admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs), with an average hospital stay of two days (range 1-40 days). Men corresponded to 56.4% of the cases of suicide attempts and sixteen individuals died. One hundred-forty patients intoxicated due to occupational exposure were all young adults and nine of them were admitted to ICU, with average hospital stays of eight days (range 1-16 days). Of these cases, two patients died. One hundred twenty-four patients intoxicated due to accidental exposure were mainly children and had a hospital average stay of four days. Twenty patients were admitted to the ICU, and one of them died. Overall complications included respiratory failure, convulsions, and aspiration pneumonia. Deliberate ingestion of organophosphates and carbamates Was much more toxic than occupational and accidental exposure. Men aged 15-39 years were the most likely to attempt suicide with these agents and had more prolonged ICU with significant complications and mortality

Rutin association with ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and benzophenone-3: In vitro evaluation of the photoprotection effectiveness by reflectance spectrophotometry

There is a world tendency to the development of sunscreens possessing reduced concentration of UV filters and, yet, with high UVA-UVB protection. This research work proposes the development and in vitro efficacy evaluation of sunscreens containing rutin, an antioxidant flavonol, associated or not to UVA (benzophenone-3) and UVB (ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate) filters. Formulations were in vitro assayed by reflectance spectrophotometry with integrated sphere, regarding the following parameters: estimated sun protection factor (SPF), critical wavelength (nm) and UVA/UVB ratio. Rutin 0.1% w/w photoprotection efficacy presented dependent of the concentration and presence of the UVA and UVB filters, and it was verified synergism on the SPF elevation, from 7.34 +/- 0.24 to 9.97 +/- 0.18, when the flavonoid was associated with the filters in minimum concentrations. Isolated rutin exerted UVA protection superior to the formulation not added to UV filters and their associations.

Adsorption of Ni(2+), Zn(2+) and Pb(2+) onto dry biomass of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis and Chlorella vulgaris. I. Single metal systems

Adsorption of Ni(2+), Zn(2+) or Pb(2+) by dry biomass of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis and Chlorella vulgaris was studied as a function of contact time and initial metal concentration. The zero point of charge calculated for these biosorbents (pH(zpc) 4.0 and 3.4, respectively) and additional pH tests suggested the use of pH in the range 5.0-5.5 for the experiments. The equilibrium isotherms were evaluated in terms of maximum sorption capacity and sorption affinity. The pseudo first and second order kinetic models were considered to interpret the experimental data, and the latter best described the adsorption system. Both the Freundlich and Langmuir models were shown to well describe the sorption isotherms, thus suggesting an intermediate mono/multilayer sorption mechanism. Compared to A. platensis (q(e) = 0.354, 0.495 and 0.508 mmol g(-1) for Ni(2+), Pb(2)+ and Zn(2+), respectively), C. vulgaris behaved as a better biosorbent because of higher equilibrium sorption capacity (q(e) = 0.499, 0.634 and 0.664 mmol g(-1), respectively). The removal efficiency decreased with increasing metal concentration, pointing out a passive adsorption process involving the active sites on the surface of the biomasses. The FT-IR spectroscopy evidenced that ions removal occurred mainly by interaction between metal and carboxylate groups present on both the cell walls. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of ammonium chloride feeding time and light intensity on the cultivation of Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis

This study dealt with the influence of both the feeding time and light intensity on the fed-batch culture of the cyanobacterium Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis using ammonium chloride as a nitrogen source. For this purpose, a 2 2 plus star central composite experimental design combined with response surface methodology was employed, and the maximum cell concentration (X-m), the cell productivity (P-X), and the yield of biomass on nitrogen (Y-X/N) were selected as the response variables. The optimum values of X-m (1,833 mgL(-1)) and Y-X/N (5.9 gg(-1)) estimated by the model at light intensity of 13 klux and feeding time of 17.2 days were very close to those obtained experimentally under these conditions (X-m = 1,771 +/- 41 mg L-1; Y-X/N = 5.7 +/- 0.17 gg(-1)). The cell productivity was a decreasing function of the ammonium chloride feeding time and a quadratic function of the light intensity. The protein and lipid contents of dry biomass collected at the end of cultivations were shown to decrease with increasing light intensity.

Evaluation of culture media for enumeration of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium animalis in the presence of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus

The study compared the growth capability of probiotic (Lactobacillus acidophilus La05, Lactobacillus casei Lc01 and Bifidobacterium animalis Bb12) and non-probiotic (Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus) cultures on twenty-one culture media grouped according to selectivity: nonselective agars, selective agars without antibiotics and MRS agars containing different combinations of lithium chloride, cystein, bile salts and antibiotics. Four of these media were selected for quantitative enumeration of L acidophilus La05, L casei Lc01, and B. animalis Bb12. The best culture media and incubation conditions for enumeration of the probiotic cultures were: B. animalis: MRS agar with dicloxacillin, 37 degrees C or 42 degrees C, anaerobiosis; L acidophilus: MRS agar with bile salts, 37 degrees C or 42 degrees C, aerobiosis; L casei: MRS agar with lithium chloride and sodium propionate, 37 degrees C or 42 degrees C, aerobiosis or anaerobiosis. Plating on MRS with glucose replaced by maltose, 37 degrees C or 42 degrees C, anaerobiosis, will distinguish probiotic from non-probiotic cultures. For enumeration of each probiotic in a mixed culture, the following media and incubation conditions were recommended: B. animalis: 4ABC-MRS, 42 degrees C, anaerobiosis, L acidophilus: LC medium, 42 degrees C, aerobiosis or anaerobiosis and L casei: LP-MRS, 42 degrees C, aerobiosis or anaerobiosis. In all experiments, differences in counts using pour plating or surface plating were not significant (P <= 0.05). (C) 2008 Swiss Society of Food Science and Technology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stereoselective analysis of thioridazine-2-sulfoxide and thioridazine-5-sulfoxide: An investigation of rac-thioridazine biotransformation by some endophytic fungi

The purpose of this study was to develop a method for the stereoselective analysis of thioridazine-2-sulfoxide (THD-2-SO) and thioridazine-5-sulfoxide (THD-5-SO) in culture medium and to study the biotransformation of rac-thioridazine (THD) by some endophytic fungi. The simultaneous resolution of THD-2-SO and THD-5-SO diastereoisomers was performed on a CHIRALPAK(R) AS column using a mobile phase of hexane: ethanol: methanol (92:6:2, v/v/v) + 0.5% diethylamine; UV detection was carried out at 262 nm. Diethyl ether was used as extractor solvent. The validated method was used to evaluate the biotransformation of THD by 12 endophytic fungi isolated from Tithonia diversifolia, Viguiera arenaria and Viguiera robusta. Among the 12 fungi evaluated, 4 of them deserve prominence for presenting an evidenced stereoselective biotransformation potential: Phomopsis sp. (TD2) presented greater mono-2-sulfoxidation to the form (S)-(SE) (12.1%); Glomerella cingulata (VA1) presented greater mono-5-sulfoxidation to the forms (S)-(SE) + (R)-(FE) (10.5%); Diaporthe phaseolorum (VR4) presented greater mono-2-sulfoxidation to the forms (S)-(SE) and (R)-(FE) (84.4% and 82.5%, respectively) and Aspergillus fumigatus (VR12) presented greater mono-2-sulfoxidation to the forms (S)-(SE) and (R)-(SE) (31.5% and 34.4%, respectively). (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultra-Fast Gradient LC Method for Omeprazole Analysis Using a Monolithic Column: Assay Development, Validation, and Application to the Quality Control of Omeprazole Enteric-Coated Pellets

A method was optimized for the analysis of omeprazole (OMZ) by ultra-high speed LC with diode array detection using a monolithic Chromolith Fast Gradient RP 18 endcapped column (50 x 2.0 mm id). The analyses were performed at 30 degrees C using a mobile phase consisting of 0.15% (v/v) trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in water (solvent A) and 0.15% (v/v) TFA in acetonitrile (solvent B) under a linear gradient of 5 to 90% B in 1 min at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and detection at 220 nm. Under these conditions, OMZ retention time was approximately 0.74 min. Validation parameters, such as selectivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, and robustness, showed results within the acceptable criteria. The method developed was successfully applied to OMZ enteric-coated pellets, showing that this assay can be used in the pharmaceutical industry for routine QC analysis. Moreover, the analytical conditions established allow for the simultaneous analysis of OMZ metabolites, 5-hydroxyomeprazole and omeprazole sulfone, in the same run, showing that this method can be extended to other matrixes with adequate procedures for sample preparation.

HPLC separation, NMR and QTOF/MS/MS structure elucidation of a prominent nitric oxide donor agent based on an isomeric composition of a nitrosyl ruthenium complex

A new and promising nitrosyl ruthenium complex, [Ru(NO)(bdqi-COOH)(terpy)](PF(6))(3), bdqi-COOH is 3,4-diiminebenzoic acid and terpy is 2,2`-terpyridine, has been synthesized as a NO donor agent. The procedure used for [Ru(NO)(bdqi-COOH)(terpy)](PF(6))(3) synthesis has, apparently, yielded the formation of two isomers in which the ligand bdqi-COOH appears to be coordinated in its reduced form (bdcat-COOH), which could have differences in their pharmacological properties. Therefore, it was intended to separate the two possible isomers by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and to characterize them by high resolution mass spectrometry (QTOF MS) and by magnetic nuclear resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The results obtained by MS showed that the ESI-MS mass spectra of both HPLC column fractions, e.g. peak 1 and peak 2, are essentially equal, showing that both isomers display nearly identical gas-phase behavior with clusters of isotopologue ions centered at m/z 573, m/z 543 and m/z 513. Regarding the NMR analysis, the results showed that the positional isomerism is located in the bdqi-COOH ligand. From the observed results it can be concluded that the synthesis procedure that has been used results in the formation of two [Ru(terpy)(bdqi-COOH)NO](PF(6))(3) isomers. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.