Wide-band tracheids (WBTs) of photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic stems in species of Cactaceae

ARRUDA, E. AND G. F. A. MELO-DE-PINNA (Departamento de Botanica, Instituto de Biociencias. Universidade de Sao Paulo, Rua do Matao, travessa 14, Cidade Universitaria, Butanta, Caixa Postal 11461, 05422-970. Sao Paulo, SP, Brasil). Wide-band tracheids (WBTs) of the photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic stems in species of Cactaceae. J. Torrey Bat. Soc. 137: 16-29. 2010.-The absence of WBTs and wood polymorphisms in some species of the Caryophyllales may be related to the particular area of plant analyzed. The present research has the objective of studying the photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic stems of different species and stages of differentiation to register wood polymorphisms and to understand the distribution and occurrence of WBTs. Wood polymorphism was observed in the non-photosynthetic stern of young and adult plants of Opuntioideae and Cactoideae and is also found in the photosynthetic stem of young plants of some species of Cactoideae. Cactoideae present WBT/fibrous dimorphic wood that can be related to cambial variation associated with growth habits and plant development. As expected, in the photosynthetic stem of the adult columnar cacti the wood is monomorphic fibrous in which WBTs were not found. This wood contains a great amount of fibers due to necessity of the mechanical support. In contrast, the globular species do not possess fibers in this area of the stem in either adult or young plants. Opuntia monacantha Haw. had non-fibrous wood in which WBTs were observed in the axial system and in the inner parts of the rays. Fiber clusters were present in the axial system. This wood represents a variation in the wood types described for Opuntioideae. Also, in O. monacantha, cells similar to the WBTs were observed in the pith, which can be interpreted as variation in the morphogenic processes during the ontogeny of the plant, probably a case of homeosis. Monomorphic fibrous wood without WBTs was found along the entire stem of Pereskia bahiensis Gurke. This feature has been observed in other pereskias, and in addition to the others, indicates its proximity to the ancestral cacti.

Subepithelial connective tissue graft for root coverage in smokers and non-smokers: A clinical and histologic controlled study in humans

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate root coverage of gingival recessions and to compare graft vascularization in smokers and non-smokers. Methods: Thirty subjects, 15 smokers and 15 non-smokers, were selected. Each subject had one Miller Class I or II recession in a non-molar tooth. Clinical measurements of probing depth (PD), relative clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival recession (GR), and width of keratinized tissue (KT) were determined at baseline and 3 and 6 months after surgery. The recessions were treated surgically with a coronally positioned flap associated with a subepithelial connective tissue graft. A small portion of this graft was prepared for immunohistochemistry. Blood vessels were identified and counted by expression of factor VIII-related antigen-stained endothelial cells. Results: Intragroup analysis showed that after 6 months there a was gain in CAL, a decrease in GR, and an increase in KT for both groups (P<0.05), whereas changes in PD were not statistically significant. Smokers had less root coverage than non-smokers (58.02% +/- 19.75% versus 83.35% +/- 18.53%; P<0.05). Furthermore, the smokers had more GR (1.48 +/- 0.79 mm versus 0.52 +/- 0.60 mm) than the nonsmokers (P<0.05). Histomorphometry of the donor tissue revealed a blood vessel density of 49.01 +/- 11.91 vessels/200x field for non-smokers and 36.53 +/- 10.23 vessels/200x field for smokers (P<0.05). Conclusion: Root coverage with subepithelial connective tissue graft was negatively affected by smoking, which limited and jeopardized treatment results.

The role of carbohydrates in seed germination and seedling establishment of Himatanthus sucuuba, an Amazonian tree with populations adapted to flooded and non-flooded conditions

Background and Aims In the Amazonian floodplains plants withstand annual periods of flooding which can last 7 months. Under these conditions seedlings remain submerged in the dark for long periods since light penetration in the water is limited. Himatanthus sucuuba is a tree species found in the `varzea` (VZ) floodplains and adjacent non-flooded `terra-firme` (TF) forests. Biochemical traits which enhance flood tolerance and colonization success of H. sucuuba in periodically flooded environments were investigated. Methods Storage carbohydrates of seeds of VZ and TF populations were extracted and analysed by HPAEC/PAD. Starch was analysed by enzyme (glucoamylase) degradation followed by quantification of glucose oxidase. Carbohydrate composition of roots of VZ and TF seedlings was studied after experimental exposure to a 15-d period of submersion in light versus darkness. Key Results The endosperm contains a large proportion of the seed reserves, raffinose being the main nonstructural carbohydrate. Around 93% of the cell wall storage polysaccharides (percentage dry weight basis) in the endosperm of VZ seeds was composed of mannose, while soluble sugars accounted for 2.5%. In contrast, 74% of the endosperm in TF seeds was composed of galactomannans, while 22% of the endosperm was soluble sugars. This suggested a larger carbohydrate allocation to germination in TF populations whereas VZ populations allocate comparatively more to carbohydrates mobilized during seedling development. The concentration of root non-structural carbohydrates in non-flooded seedlings strongly decreased after a 15-d period of darkness, whereas flooded seedlings were less affected. These effects were more pronounced in TF seedlings, which showed significantly lower root non-structural carbohydrate concentrations. Conclusions There seem to be metabolic adjustments in VZ but not TF seedlings that lead to adaptation to the combined stresses of darkness and flooding. This seems to be important for the survival of the species in these contrasting environments, leading these populations to different directions during evolution.

Ecological niche similarities of Peponapis bees and non-domesticated Cucurbita species

Peponapis bees are considered specialized pollinators of Cucurbita flowers, a genus that presents several species of economic value (squashes and pumpkins). Both genera originated in the Americas, and their diversity dispersion center is in Mexico. Ten species of Peponapis and ten species of Cucurbita (only non-domesticated species) were analyzed considering the similarity of their ecological niche characteristics with respect to climatic conditions of their occurrence areas (abiotic variables) and interactions between species (biotic variables). The similarity of climatic conditions (temperature and precipitation) was estimated through cluster analyses. The areas of potential occurrence of the most similar species were obtained through ecological niche modeling and summed with geographic information system tools. Three main clusters were obtained: one with species that shared potential occurrence areas mainly in deserts (P. pruinosa, P. timberlakei, C. digitata, C. palmata, C. foetidissima), another in moist forests (P. limitaris, P. atrata, C. lundelliana, C. o. martinezii) and a third mainly in dry forests (C. a. sororia, C. radicans, C. pedatifolia, P. azteca, P. smithi, P. crassidentata, P. utahensis). Some species with similar ecological niche presented potential shared areas that are also similar to their geographical distribution, like those occurring predominantly on deserts. However, some clustered species presented larger geographical areas, such as P. pruinosa and C. foetidissima suggesting other drivers than climatic conditions to shape their distributions. The domestication of Cucurbita and also the natural history of both genera were considered also as important factors. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On C(r)-closing for flows on orientable and non-orientable 2-manifolds

We provide an affirmative answer to the C(r)-Closing Lemma, r >= 2, for a large class of flows defined on every closed surface.

An evaluation of three upwinding approximations for numerical modeling the flow in tubular membrane of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids

In this paper, the laminar fluid flow of Newtonian and non-Newtonian of aqueous solutions in a tubular membrane is numerically studied. The mathematical formulation, with associated initial and boundary conditions for cylindrical coordinates, comprises the mass conservation, momentum conservation and mass transfer equations. These equations are discretized by using the finite-difference technique on a staggered grid system. Comparisons of the three upwinding schemes for discretization of the non-linear (convective) terms are presented. The effects of several physical parameters on the concentration profile are investigated. The numerical results compare favorably with experimental data and the analytical solutions. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Control and chaos for vibro-impact and non-ideal oscillators

In the paper, we discuss dynamics of two kinds of mechanical systems. Initially, we consider vibro-impact systems which have many implementations in applied mechanics, ranging from drilling machinery and metal cutting processes to gear boxes. Moreover, from the point of view of dynamical systems, vibro-impact systems exhibit a rich variety of phenomena, particularly chaotic motion. In this paper, we review recent works on the dynamics of vibro-impact systems, focusing on chaotic motion and its control. The considered systems are a gear-rattling model and a smart damper to suppress chaotic motion. Furthermore, we investigate systems with non-ideal energy source, represented by a limited power supply. As an example of a non-ideal system, we analyse chaotic dynamics of the damped Duffing oscillator coupled to a rotor. Then, we show how to use a tuned liquid damper to control the attractors of this non-ideal oscillator.

Final state hadronic interactions and non-resonant B(+/-)-> K(+/-)pi(+)pi(-) decays

We evaluate the non-resonant decay amplitude of the process B(+/-) -> K(+/-)pi(+)pi(-) using an approach based on final state hadronic interactions described in terms of meson exchanges. We conclude that this mechanism generates inhomogeneities in the Dalitz plot of the B decay. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V.

The binding of synthetic triiodo L-thyronine analogs to human transthyretin: Molecular basis of cooperative and non-cooperative ligand recognition

Transthyretin (TTR) is a tetrameric beta-sheet-rich transporter protein directly involved in human amyloid diseases. Several classes of small molecules can bind to TTR delaying its amyloid fibril formation, thus being promising drug candidates to treat TTR amyloidoses. In the present study, we characterized the interactions of the synthetic triiodo L-thyronine analogs and thyroid hormone nuclear receptor TR beta-selecfive agonists GC-1 and GC-24 with the wild type and V30M variant of human transthyretin (TTR). To achieve this aim, we conducted in vitro TTR acid-mediated aggregation and isothermal titration calorimetry experiments and determined the TTR:GC-1 and TTR:GC-24 crystal structures. Our data indicate that both GC-1 and GC-24 bind to TTR in a non-cooperative manner and are good inhibitors of TTR aggregation, with dissociation constants for both hormone binding sites (HBS) in the low micromolar range. Analysis of the crystal structures of TTRwt:GC-1(24) complexes and their comparison with the TTRwt X-ray structure bound to its natural ligand thyroxine (T4) suggests, at the molecular level, the basis for the cooperative process displayed by T4 and the non-cooperative process provoked by both GC-1 and GC-24 during binding to TTR. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spin-polarization effects in homogeneous and non-homogeneous diluted magnetic semiconductor heterostructures

Spin polarization is a key characteristic in developing spintronic devices. Diluted magnetic heterostructures (DMH), where subsequent layers of conventional and diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) are alternate, are one of the possible ways to obtain it. Si being the basis of modern electronics, Si or other group-IV DMH can be used to build spintronic devices directly integrated with conventional ones. In this work we study the physical properties and the spin-polarization effects of p-type DMH based in group-IV semiconductors (Si, Ge, SiGe, and SiC), by performing self-consistent (k) over right arrow . (p) over right arrow calculations in the local spin density approximation. We show that high spin polarization can be maintained in these structures below certain values of the carrier concentrations. Full spin polarization is attained in the low carrier concentration regime for carrier concentrations in the DMS layer up to similar to 2.0 x 10(19) cm(-3) for Si and up to similar to 6.0 x 10(19) cm(-3) for SiC. Partial, but still important spin polarization can be achieved for all studied group-IV DMH, with the exception of Ge for carrier concentrations up to 6.0 x 10(19) cm(-3). The role played by the effective masses and the energy splitting of the spin-orbit split-off hole bands is also discussed throughout the paper.

THERMAL BEHAVIOR STUDY AND DECOMPOSITION KINETICS OF SALBUTAMOL UNDER ISOTHERMAL AND NON-ISOTHERMAL CONDITIONS

The thermal decomposition of salbutamol (beta(2) - selective adrenoreceptor) was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry/derivative thermogravimetry (TG/DTG). It was observed that the commercial sample showed a different thermal profile than the standard sample caused by the presence of excipients. These compounds increase the thermal stability of the drug. Moreover, higher activation energy was calculated for the pharmaceutical sample, which was estimated by isothermal and non-isothermal methods for the first stage of the thermal decomposition process. For isothermal experiments the average values were E(act) = 130 kJ mol(-1) (for standard sample) and E(act) = 252 kJ mol(-1) (for pharmaceutical sample) in a dynamic nitrogen atmosphere (50 mL min(-1)). For non-isothermal method, activation energy was obtained from the plot of log heating rates vs. 1/T in dynamic air atmosphere (50 mL min(-1)). The calculated values were E(act) = 134 kJ mol(-1) (for standard sample) and E(act) (=) 139 kJ mol(-1) (for pharmaceutical sample).