Fungi, mycotoxins and phytoalexin in peanut varieties, during plant growth in the field

The aim of the present study was to analyze the mycobiota, occurrence of mycotoxins (aflatoxins and cyclopiazonic acid), and production of phytoalexin (trans-resveratrol) in two peanut varieties (Runner IAC 886 and Caiapo) during plant growth in the field. Climatic factors (rainfall, relative humidity and temperature) and water activity were also evaluated. The results showed a predominance of Fusarium spp. in kernels and pods, followed by Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus flavus. Aflatoxins were detected in 20% and 10% of samples of the IAC 886 and Caiapo varieties, respectively. Analysis showed that 65% of kernel samples of the IAC 886 variety and 25% of the Caiapo variety were contaminated with cyclopiazonic acid. trans-Resveratrol was detected in 6.7% of kernel samples of the IAC 886 variety and in 20% of the Caiapo variety. However, trans-resveratrol was found in 73.3% of leaf samples in the two varieties studied. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Screening for endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in Brazilian sugar cane varieties used in organic farming and description of Stenotrophomonas pavanii sp. nov.

A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming and nitrogen-fixing bacterium, designated ICB 89(T), was isolated from stems of a Brazilian sugar cane variety widely used in organic farming. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain ICB 89(T) belonged to the genus Stenotrophomonas and was most closely related to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia LMG 958(T), Stenotrophomonas rhizophila LMG 22075(T), Stenotrophomonas nitritireducens L2(T), [Pseudomonas] geniculata ATCC 19374(T), [Pseudomonas] hibiscicola ATCC 19867(T) and [Pseudomonas] beteli ATCC 19861(T). DNA-DNA hybridization together with chemotaxonomic data and biochemical characteristics allowed the differentiation of strain ICB 89(T) from its nearest phylogenetic neighbours. Therefore, strain ICB 89(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Stenotrophomonas pavanii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ICB 89(T) (=CBMAI 564(T) =LMG 25348(T)).

Distinguishing links up to link-homotopy by algebraic methods

In this paper we provide a complete algebraic invariant of link-homotopy, that is, an algebraic invariant that distinguishes two links if and only if they are link-homotopic. The paper establishes a connection between the ""peripheral structures"" approach to link-homotopy taken by Milnor, Levine and others, and the string link action approach taken by Habegger and Lin. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Numerical prediction of three-dimensional time-dependent viscoelastic extrudate swell using differential and algebraic models

This study investigates the numerical simulation of three-dimensional time-dependent viscoelastic free surface flows using the Upper-Convected Maxwell (UCM) constitutive equation and an algebraic explicit model. This investigation was carried out to develop a simplified approach that can be applied to the extrudate swell problem. The relevant physics of this flow phenomenon is discussed in the paper and an algebraic model to predict the extrudate swell problem is presented. It is based on an explicit algebraic representation of the non-Newtonian extra-stress through a kinematic tensor formed with the scaled dyadic product of the velocity field. The elasticity of the fluid is governed by a single transport equation for a scalar quantity which has dimension of strain rate. Mass and momentum conservations, and the constitutive equation (UCM and algebraic model) were solved by a three-dimensional time-dependent finite difference method. The free surface of the fluid was modeled using a marker-and-cell approach. The algebraic model was validated by comparing the numerical predictions with analytic solutions for pipe flow. In comparison with the classical UCM model, one advantage of this approach is that computational workload is substantially reduced: the UCM model employs six differential equations while the algebraic model uses only one. The results showed stable flows with very large extrudate growths beyond those usually obtained with standard differential viscoelastic models. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ON AMINO ACID AND CODON ASSIGNMENT IN ALGEBRAIC MODELS FOR THE GENETIC CODE

We give a list of all possible schemes for performing amino acid and codon assignments in algebraic models for the genetic code, which are consistent with a few simple symmetry principles, in accordance with the spirit of the algebraic approach to the evolution of the genetic code proposed by Hornos and Hornos. Our results are complete in the sense of covering all the algebraic models that arise within this approach, whether based on Lie groups/Lie algebras, on Lie superalgebras or on finite groups.

An application of lattice basis reduction to polynomial identities for algebraic structures

The authors` recent classification of trilinear operations includes, among other cases, a fourth family of operations with parameter q epsilon Q boolean OR {infinity}, and weakly commutative and weakly anticommutative operations. These operations satisfy polynomial identities in degree 3 and further identities in degree 5. For each operation, using the row canonical form of the expansion matrix E to find the identities in degree 5 gives extremely complicated results. We use lattice basis reduction to simplify these identities: we compute the Hermite normal form H of E(t), obtain a basis of the nullspace lattice from the last rows of a matrix U for which UE(t) = H, and then use the LLL algorithm to reduce the basis. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ALGEBRAIC AND GEOMETRIC THEORY OF THE TOPOLOGICAL RING OF COLOMBEAU GENERALIZED FUNCTIONS

We continue the investigation of the algebraic and topological structure of the algebra of Colombeau generalized functions with the aim of building up the algebraic basis for the theory of these functions. This was started in a previous work of Aragona and Juriaans, where the algebraic and topological structure of the Colombeau generalized numbers were studied. Here, among other important things, we determine completely the minimal primes of (K) over bar and introduce several invariants of the ideals of 9(Q). The main tools we use are the algebraic results obtained by Aragona and Juriaans and the theory of differential calculus on generalized manifolds developed by Aragona and co-workers. The main achievement of the differential calculus is that all classical objects, such as distributions, become Cl-functions. Our purpose is to build an independent and intrinsic theory for Colombeau generalized functions and place them in a wider context.

Polar orthogonal representations of real reductive algebraic groups

We prove that a polar orthogonal representation of a real reductive algebraic group has the same closed orbits as the isotropy representation of a pseudo-Riemannian symmetric space. We also develop a partial structural theory of polar orthogonal representations of real reductive algebraic groups which slightly generalizes some results of the structural theory of real reductive Lie algebras. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Algebraic Bol loops

In this paper, we study the category of algebraic Bol loops over an algebraically closed field of definition. On the one hand, we apply techniques from the theory of algebraic groups in order to prove structural theorems for this category. On the other hand, we present some examples showing that these loops lack some nice properties of algebraic groups; for example, we construct local algebraic Bol loops which are not birationally equivalent to global algebraic loops.

An algebraic theory for generalized Jordan chains and partial signatures in the Lagrangian Grassmannian

We discuss an algebraic theory for generalized Jordan chains and partial signatures, that are invariants associated to sequences of symmetric bilinear forms on a vector space. We introduce an intrinsic notion of partial signatures in the Lagrangian Grassmannian of a symplectic space that does not use local coordinates, and we give a formula for the Maslov index of arbitrary real analytic paths in terms of partial signatures.