Temperature effect on seed germination in Canna indica L. (Cannaceae)

Comm indica L. is an herbaceous species with ornamental and medicinal value, having seeds with a hard seed coat. This study aimed to test the influence of constant temperatures ranging from 5 to 45 C, at 5 C intervals, on the germination of scarified seeds. Data obtained were analyzed through the model of enthalpy of activation in order to obtain the optimum temperature range for germination. The species showed seed germinability in a wide temperature range (10-40 degrees C) being the optimal temperature range between 13.84 and 34.41 degrees C, determined by the enthalpy of activation.

Effects of a lectin-like protein isolated from Acacia farnesiana seeds on phytopathogenic bacterial strains and root-knot nematode

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Germination and anaerobic metabolism of seeds of Tabebuia cassinoides (Lam.) DC subjected to flooding and anoxia

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Frugivory by the fish Brycon hilarii (Characidae) in western Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Hard tissue formation adjacent to implants of various size and configuration immediately placed into extraction sockets: an experimental study in dogs

ObjectivesTo evaluate the influence of implant size and configuration on osseointegration in implants immediately placed into extraction sockets.Material and methodsImplants were installed immediately into extraction sockets in the mandibles of six Labrador dogs. In the control sites, cylindrical transmucosal implants (3.3 mm diameter) were installed, while in the test sites, larger and conical (root formed, 5 mm diameter) implants were installed. After 4 months of healing, the resorptive patterns of the alveolar crest were evaluated histomorphometrically.ResultsWith one exception, all implants were integrated in mineralized bone, mainly composed of mature lamellar bone. The alveolar crest underwent resorption at the control as well as at the test implants. This resorption was more pronounced at the buccal aspects and significantly greater at the test (2.7 +/- 0.4 mm) than at the control implants (1.5 +/- 0.6 mm). However, the control implants were associated with residual defects that were deeper at the lingual than at the buccal aspects, while these defects were virtually absent at test implants.ConclusionsThe installment of root formed wide implants immediately into extraction sockets will not prevent the resorption of the alveolar crest. In contrast, this resorption is more marked both at the buccal and lingual aspects of root formed wide than at standard cylindrical implants.To cite this article:Caneva M, Salata LA, de Souza SS, Bressan E, Botticelli D, Lang NP. Hard tissue formation adjacent to implants of various size and configuration immediately placed into extraction sockets: an experimental study in dogs.Clin. Oral Impl. Res. 21, 2010; 885-895.doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0501.2010.01931.x.

Do Terrestrial Tank Bromeliads in Brazil Create Safe Sites for Palm Establishment or Act as Natural Traps for Its Dispersed Seeds ?

This study shows for the first time that terrestrial tank bromeliads from Brazilian restinga can act as natural traps for dispersed palm Euterpe edulis seeds. Such bromeliads, which are shade intolerant, gain benefits by limiting palm recruitment since they hinder canopy formation and, consequently, increase luminosity over its aggregates.

Optimization of Radial Basis Function neural network employed for prediction of surface roughness in hard turning process using Taguchi's orthogonal arrays

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Predation of the Buffy-fronted Seedeater Sporophila frontalis (Aves: Emberizidae) on Merostachys neesii (Poaceae: Babusoideae) seeds during a masting event in the Atlantic forest

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Cryopreservation of Dendrobium hybrid seeds and protocorms as affected by phloroglucinol and Supercool X1000

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Influence of implants with different sizes and configurations installed immediately into extraction sockets on peri-implant hard and soft tissues: an experimental study in dogs

Aim: To study the influence on the healing of soft and hard peri-implant tissues when implants of different sizes and configurations were installed into sockets immediately after tooth extraction.Material and methods: Transmucosal cylindrical implants, 3.3 mm in diameter in the control sites, and conical 5 mm in diameter in the test sites, were installed into the distal socket of the fourth mandibular premolars in dogs immediately after tooth extraction. After 4 months, the hard and soft tissue healing was evaluated histologically. Results: All implants were integrated in mineralized mature bone. Both at the test and control sites, the alveolar crest underwent resorption. The buccal bony surface at the implant test sites (conical; 3.8 mm) was more resorbed compared with the control sites (cylindrical; 1.6 mm). The soft tissue dimensions were similar in both groups. However, in relation to the implant shoulder, the peri-implant mucosa was located more apically at the test compared with the control sites.Conclusion: The present study confirmed that the distance between the implant surface and the outer contour of the buccal alveolar bony crest influenced the degree of resorption of the buccal bone plate. Consequently, in relation to the implant shoulder, the peri-implant mucosa will be established at a more apical level, if the distance between the implant surface and the outer contour of the alveolar crest is small.

Purification of a PHA-Like chitin-binding protein from Acacia farnesiana seeds: A time-dependent oligomerization protein

A lectin-like protein from the seeds of Acacia farnesiana was isolated from the albumin fraction, characterized, and sequenced by tandem mass spectrometry. The albumin fraction was extracted with 0.5 M NaCl, and the lectin-like protein of A. farnesiana (AFAL) was purified by ion-exchange chromatography (Mono-Q) followed by chromatofocusing. AFAL agglutinated rabbit erythrocytes and did not agglutinate human ABO erythrocytes either native or treated with proteolytic enzymes. In sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis under reducing and nonreducing conditions, AFAL separated into two bands with a subunit molecular mass of 35 and 50 kDa. The homogeneity of purified protein was confirmed by chromatofocusing with a pI=4.0+/-0.5. Molecular exclusion chromatography confirmed time-dependent oligomerization in AFAL, in accordance with mass spectrometry analysis, which confers an alteration in AFAL affinity for chitin. The protein sequence was obtained by a liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight experiment and showed that AFAL has 68% and 63% sequence similarity with lectins of Phaseolus vulgaris and Dolichos biflorus, respectively.

Purification, Characterization, and Preliminary X-Ray Diffraction Analysis of a Lactose-Specific Lectin from Cymbosema roseum Seeds

The unique carbohydrate-binding property of lectins makes them invaluable tools in biomedical research. Here, we report the purification, partial primary structure, carbohydrate affinity characterization, crystallization, and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a lactose-specific lectin from Cymbosema roseum seeds (CRLII). Isolation and purification of CRLII was performed by a single step using a Sepharose-4B-lactose affinity chromatography column. The carbohydrate affinity characterization was carried using assays for hemagglutination activity and inhibition. CRLII showed hemagglutinating activity toward rabbit erythrocytes. O-glycoproteins from mucine mucopolysaccharides showed the most potent inhibition capacity at a minimum concentration of 1.2 A mu g mL(-1). Protein sequencing by mass spectrometry was obtained by the digestion of CRLII with trypsin, Glu-C, and AspN. CRLII partial protein sequence exhibits 46% similarity with the ConA-like alpha chain precursor. Suitable protein crystals were obtained with the hanging-drop vapor-diffusion method with 8% ethylene glycol, 0.1 M Tris-HCl pH 8.5, and 11% PEG 8,000. The monoclinic crystals belong to space group P2(1) with unit cell parameters a = 49.4, b = 89.6, and c = 100.8 A....

The action of the testa upon the germination of seeds of Cucumis anguria L.

In negatively photoblastic seeds of Cucumis anguria L. the scarification of micropyle overcame the inhibitory effect of white light , although far-red radiation inhibited the germination in both intact and scarified seeds. The moistened testa powder transmitted more far-red than red radiation. Thus the testa could act as a filter of radiation and maintain a high far-red/red ratio at the photosensitive site of the embryo, which must be localized near the micropyle. © 1988 Academia.