Characteristics of the biological cycle of lutzomyia evandroi Costa Lima & Antunes, 1936 (diptera: psychodidae) under experimental conditions

XIMENES, Maria de Fátima Freire de Melo; MACIEL, Janaína Cunha; JERONIMO, Selma Maria Bezerra. Characteristics of the Biological Cycle of Lutzomyia evandroi Costa Lima & Antunes, 1936 (diptera: psychodidae) under experimental conditions. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, v.96, n.6, p.883-886, ago. 2001. Disponivel em: Acesso em: 4 out. 2010.

Isolamento de uma quitinase extraída do cefalotórax do camarão marinho Litopenaeus schmitti (BURKENROAD, 1936) : avaliação de suas atividades antimicrobiana e larvicida

Chitinases are enzymes involved in degradation of chitin and are present in a range of organisms, including those that do not contain chitin, such as bacteria, viruses, plants and animals, and play important physiological and ecological roles. Chitin is hydrolyzed by a chitinolytic system classified as: endo-chitinases, exo-chitinases and N-acetyl-b-D-glucosaminidases. In this study a Litochitinase1 extracted from the cephalotorax of the shrimp Litopenaeus Schmitt was purified 987.32 times using ionexchange chromatography DEAE-Biogel and molecular exclusion Sephacryl S-200. These enzyme presented a molecular mass of about 28.5 kDa. The results, after kinetic assay with the Litochitinase1 using as substrate p-nitrophenyl-N-acetyl-b-Dglucosaminideo, showed apparent Km of 0.51 mM, optimal activity at pH ranging from 5.0 to 6.0, optimum temperature at 55°C and stability when pre-incubated at temperatures of 25, 37, 45, 50 and 55°C. The enzyme showed a range of stability at pH 4.0 to 5.5. HgCl2 inhibited Litochitinase1 while MgCl2 enhances its activity. Antimicrobial tests showed that Litochitinase1 present activity against gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli in the 800 μg/mL concentration. The larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti was investigated using crude extracts, F-III (50-80%) and Litochitinase1 at 24 and 48 hours. The results showed larvicidal activity in all these samples with EC50 values of 6.59 mg/mL for crude extract, 5.36 mg/mL for F-III and 0.71 mg/mL for Litochitinase1 at 24 hours and 3.22 and 0.49 mg/mL for the F-III and Litochitinase1 at 48 hours, respectively. Other experiments confirmed the presence of chitin in the midgut of Aedes aegypti larvae, which may be suffering the action of Litochitinase1 killing the larvae, but also the absence of contaminating proteins as serine proteinase inhibitors and lectins in the crude extract, F-III and Litochitinase1, indicating that the death of the larvae is by action of the Litochitinase1. We also observed that the enzymes extracted from intestinal homogenate of the larvae no have activity on Litochitinase1. These results indicate that the enzyme can be used as an alternative to control of infections caused by Escherichia coli and reducing the infestation of the mosquito vector of dengue.

Biologia reprodutiva da |Tainha, Mugil curema valencientes, 1836 (osteichthyes: mugilidade) nas águas costeiras do Rio Grande do Norte

The marine fish white mullet, Mugil curema Valenciennes, 1836 (Osteichthyes: Mugilidae) exhibits a wide geographical distribution, being common in the Brazilian coast and is an important component of the artisanal fisheries. The objective of this study was to investigate the reproductive biology of M. curema in the coastal waters of Rio Grande do Norte. Fish samples were captured on a monthly basis during August, 2008 to July, 2009. The fish specimens were numbered, weighed, measured, dissected and their gonads were removed, weighed, their sex and gonadal development were identified. The length-weight relationship was determined for males and females. The sex ratio, the size at first gonadal maturation and gonadosomatic index (GSI) were calculated and ovarian development was investigated using macroscopic and histological techniques. The fecundity, spawning type and the reproductive period of the species were determined. A total of 366 specimens (186 males and 180 females) were captured. The sex ratio was 1:1 and the females were heavier than males. The estimated values of the angular coefficient for both sexes suggest that the species has isometric growth. The size at which 50% of the population began the process of maturation was 25.9 cm of total length for grouped sex. The macroscopic characteristics of the ovaries showed four stages of development: immature, maturing, mature and spent. However, the microscopic characteristics of the ovaries showed five stages of development: immature, early maturing, late maturing, mature and spent. The development of oocytes indicated five phases: Chromatin-nucleolus (phase I), initial perinucleolar (phase II), final perinuclear (phase II), formation of vitelline vesicle or yolk (phase III), vitellogenic (phase IV) and complete vitellogenesis (phase V). The species has a prolonged spawning period, with two peaks coinciding with the rainy season.

Adam Smith visto por Roberto Campos: a (re)criação do mito e as necessidades do capitalismo

This work aims at analyzing how Adam Smith, one of the founders of the liberal regime was seen by Roberto Campos, one of the patriarchs of Brazilian liberalism. In this sense, it will be shown how and why the legacy of Scotland was used to legitimize the new pattern of accumulation necessary to capitalism from the second half of the twentieth century on. So, it is the intention to make explicit that the changes in Campos discursive form are consistent with the requirements of capitalism in crisis and were fundamental in the creation of another common sense. To achieve these goals it will be assessed in what way the liberal rhetoric of the Brazilian, harmonized with foreign authors with the same vision, has become an important weapon to transform Smith into a myth in contrast to the political and economic criteria advocated by the same, but valuable to what Roberto Campos intended

A Associação Cultural Itapetinguense: um projeto de emancipação educacional e política para uma vila (1936-1961)

Este trabajo de pesquisa posee um carácter histórico y documental, teniendo como objetivo la Associação Cultural Ipapetinguense fundada em el año de 1936, por la dedicación de los hombres de la élite ganadera se congregarem para la lectura de los periódicos existentes en aquella época en la villa de Itatinga, actualmente la ciudad de Itapetinga (BA). Conocer la ACI, representó evidenciar sus proyectos direccionados para la cultura y la enseñanza, desde su comienzo hasta el año de 1961, analizando los conocimientos vinculados en esos proyectos. Entre los mismos, examiamos detalladamente a Biblioteca Dr. Orlando Bahia y las iniciativas realizadas para la enseñanza: la Escola da ACI, el Curso de Ciências, Letras e Artes, el Ginásio Alfredo Dutra y la Escola Normal Juvino Oliveira, desde el punto de vista de los conocimientos socializados en estas acciones. Entendemos que estos saberes fueron sembrados por la lectura de los libros da la Biblioteca Dr. Orlando Bahia, lo que nos hizo analizar el acervo de la misma, para así percibir que estos libros fueroan los testigos de los conocimientos de los maestros en quel período de la história de la educación en Itapetinga. Ellos fueron y todavia son, no sólo, los portadores de los contenidos y de los saberes enseñados, mas los reveladores de un proyeto de la emancipación educativa y política para la villa de Itapetinga. Estudiar la história de la Associação Cultural Itapetinguense, sus proyetos dedicados para la cultura y para la educación nos ofreció la posibilidad de conocer la villa de Itapetinga y su trayectoria económica y social, su desarrollo cultural y el camino recorrido en su emancipación educativa y política. De esta manera, las acciones culturales y educativas impulsionadas por la ACI y direccionadas hacia la villa fueroan la posibilidad del progreso, del esclarecimiento y confirmación de uma élite en el ámbito económico y social local y de aumento en el ámbito de los conocimientos y de la educación formal del pueblo en su sentido amplio. Las fuentes citadas para la pesquisa fueron, fundamentalmente, los libros de las actas y los estatutos de la ACI, periódicos locales, y libros de registros de préstamo de la Biblioteca Dr. Orlando Bahia, además de todas las comunicaciones orales em las charlas realizadas