Short-term temporal changes of bare soil CO2 fluxes after tillage described by first-order decay models

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

Phosphorus fractions in Brazilian Cerrado soils as affected by tillage

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

Organic compounds from plant extracts and their effect on soil phosphorus availability

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de compostos orgânicos de extratos de plantas de seis espécies e da fertilização fosfatada na disponibilidade de fósforo no solo. Tubos de 30 cm de altura e 5 cm de diâmetro foram preenchidos com Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo. Cada tubo constituiu uma parcela, em delineamento completamente casualizado, em arranjo fatorial 7x2, com quatro repetições. Extratos líquidos de aveia-preta (Avena strigosa), nabo forrageiro (Raphanus sativus), milho (Zea mays), milheto (Pennisetum glaucum), soja (Glycine max), sorgo forrageiro (Sorghum bicolor) e água (testemunha) foram aplicados em cada parcela, com ou sem fertilização com fosfato solúvel. Após sete dias de incubação, amostras de solo foram coletadas em várias profundidades, e foram analisadas as formas lábil, moderadamente lábil e não lábil de fósforo no solo. Houve acúmulo de fósforo inorgânico nas frações lábil e moderadamente lábil do solo, como conseqüência da adição dos extratos de plantas, principalmente na camada superficial (0-5 cm). O nabo forrageiro, com maior concentração de ácido málico e maior conteúdo de P no tecido do que outras espécies, foi o mais eficiente em incrementar a disponibilidade de P no solo.

Nutritional Responses of Rats to Diets Based on Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Seed Meal or Its Protein Fractions

The aim of this study was to isolate the protein fractions from chickpea, var. IAC-Marrocos, as well as to evaluate its in vivo nutritional protein quality. Among the proteins, albumins showed better nutritional value in the in vivo assays and amino acid contents, despite their higher trypsin inhibitor contents. Trypsin inhibitors were found to be heat labile in all samples, but the digestibility results for unheated and heated flour and albumins suggest that their contents are not very decisive. The PER values for casein (not supplemented) were very similar to those of heated flour and unheated or heated albumin and total globulins. The albumin and glutelin fractions showed the best results for PDCAAS, however, lower than those of casein. Despite the high digestibility of the globulin the very low essential amino acid content lowered its PDCAAS, and it had the lowest values.

Incidence of non-01 Vibrio cholerae and Aeromonas spp. in fresh water in Araraquara, Brazil

The occurrence of Aeromonas spp., Vibrio cholerae, and Plesiomonas shigelloides in fresh water from various sources in Araraquara, State of São Paulo, Brazil was determined. Samples from ten distinct irrigation systems used in vegetable cultivation, from five distinct streams, from two reservoirs, from one artificial lake, and from three distinct springs were analyzed. All isolates were serotyped and tested for hemolysin, cytotoxin, heat-stable (ST) and heat-labile (LT) enterotoxins production; presence of plasmid; autoagglutination and drug resistance. V. cholerae isolates were also tested for cholera enterotoxin (CT) production, and Aeromonas isolates for suicide phenomenon. No P. shigelloides was found. V. cholerae non 01 was found in five irrigation water samples and in three stream samples. Aeromonas sp. were isolated in two samples of irrigation water, in three streams, and in one reservoir. All the V. cholerae and Aeromonas isolates were positive for P-hemolysin production, and all Aeromonas isolates were positive for suicide phenomenon; cytotoxic activities were observed in two Aeromonas strains. Cholera enterotoxin was not found in eight V. cholerae non-01 isolates tested by the Y-1 mouse adrenal cell. All isolates were also negative for the other virulence markers. Ii cholelerae isolates were found to be sensitive to the majority of drugs tested, while Aeromonas strains presented multiple drug resistance..

Ionically bound peroxidase from peach fruit

Soluble, ionically bound peroxidase (POD) and polyphenoloxidase (PPO) were extracted from the pulp of peach fruit during ripening at 20degreesC Ionically bound form was purified 6.1 -fold by DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-100 chromatography. The purified enzyme showed only one peak of activity on Sephadex G-100 and PAGE revealed that the enzyme was purified by the procedures adopted. The purified enzyme showed a molecular weight of 29000 Da, maximum activity at pH 5.0 and at 40degreesC the calculated apparent activation energy (Ea) for the reaction was 10.04 kcal/mol. The enzyme was heat-labile in the temperature range of 60 to 75degreesC with a fast inactivation at 75degreesC Measurement of residual activity showed a stabilizing effect of sucrose at various temperature/sugar concentrations (0, 10, 20 %, w/w), with an activation energy (Ea) for inactivation increasing with sucrose concentration from 0 to 20% (w/w). The Km and V-max values were 9.35 and 15.38 mM for O-dianisidine and H2O2, respectively. The bound enzyme was inhibited competitively by (.)ferulic, caffeic and protocatechuic acids with different values of Ki,. L-cysteine, p-coumaric and indolacetic acid and Fe++ also inhibited the enzyme but at a lower grade. N-ethylmaleimide and p-CMB were not effective to inhibit the enzyme demonstrating the non-essentiality of SH groups.

DNA damage in patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery under inhalation or intravenous anesthesia

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

Quantitative real-time RT-PCR and chromogenic in situ hybridization: precise methods to detect HER-2 status in breast carcinoma

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Growth characteristics of skeletal muscle tissue in Oreochromis niloticus larvae fed on a lysine supplemented diet

The effect of lysine amino acid supplementation on the growth characteristics and morphological pattern of skeletal muscle tissue in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus larvae was evaluated. There were four treatments (T) with increasing levels of lysine supplement (T1 = 0.0%: T2 =1.1%; T3 = 1.7%; T4 = 4.0%) and one treatment with a commercial diet (T5). In all treatments, morphological and histochemical muscle tissue analyses were similar. Two distinct layers were identified: a superficial red layer, more developed in the lateral line region, formed by fibres with intense to moderate NADH-TR reaction and strong acid-stable mATPase activity, and a deep white one, most of the Muscle mass, formed by fibres with weak NADH-TR reaction and strong alkali-stable mATPase activity. There was an intermediate layer between these two layers with fibres exhibiting either weak acid-stable or acid-labile mATPase activity. Body mass increase was significantly higher in T5 than in the lysine treatments (T1-T4). There was no difference in number and diameters of muscle fibres between lysine treatments. In T5, muscle fibre diameter and number were higher. The frequency of red fibres with diameters <= 8 mu m was higher in the lysine treatments, and with diameters between 16 and 24 mu m, was higher in T5. Most white fibre diameters in T5 were significantly larger than 24 mu m and in T1-T4 were between 8 and 16 mu m. Cell proliferation was higher in the lysine treatments and muscle growth in T5 was mainly by fibre hypertrophy. (c) 2005 the Fisheries Society of the British

Mucosa-associated but not luminal Escherichia coli is augmented in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

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

Muscle growth in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): histochemical, ultrastructural and morphometric study

Muscle growth in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was studied focusing on histochemical, ultrastructural, and morphometric characteristics of muscle fibers. Based on body length (cm), we studied four groups: G1 = 1.36+/-0.09, G2 = 3.38+/-0.44, G3 = 8.90+/-1.47, and G4 = 28.30+/-3.29 (mean+/-S.D.). All groups showed intense reaction to NADH-TR in subdermal fibers and weak or no reaction in deep layer fibers. In G3 and G4, an intermediate layer was also observed with fibers presenting weak reaction; in G4, groups of fibers with intense reaction were observed in the subdermal region. The myosin ATPase (m-ATPase) activities were acid-stable and alkali-labile in subdermal fibers; most deep layer fibers were alkali-stable and acid-labile. Intermediate fibers were acid-labile and alkali-stable. Two fiber populations were observed near deep muscle layer: one large presenting weak acid- and alkali-stable and the other small alkali-stable.During growth, muscle fiber hypertrophy was more evident in intermediate and white fibers for G3 and G4. However, in these groups, the presence of fiber diameters less than or equal to21 mum suggested that there is still substantial fiber recruitment, confirmed by ultrastructural study, but hypertrophy is the main mechanism contributing to increase in muscular mass. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biodegradability of commercial and weathered diesel oils

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

The use of vinasse as an amendment to ex-situ bioremediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with diesel oil

Este trabalho investigou a possibilidade de se usar a vinhaça como um agente estimulador de processos de biorremediação ex-situ. Amostras de água subterrânea e solo foram coletadas em três postos de combustíveis. A biorremediação do solo foi simulada em frascos de Bartha, usados para medir a produção de CO2, durante 48 dias, onde a vinhaça foi adicionada a uma concentração de 33 mL.Kg-1 de solo. A eficiência de biodegradação também foi medida pela quantificação de hidrocarbonetos totais de petróleo (TPH) por cromatografia gasosa. A biorremediação da água subterrânea foi realizada em experimentos laboratoriais simulando condições aeradas (bioreatores) e não aeradas (frascos de DBO). em ambos os casos, a concentração de vinhaça foi de 5 % (v/v) e diferentes parâmetros físico-químicos foram avaliados durante 20 dias. Embora um aumento da fertilização e da população microbiana do solo foram obtidos com a vinhaça, esta estratégia não se mostrou adequada em aumentar a eficiência da biorremediação dos solos contaminados com óleo diesel. A adição de vinhaça às águas subterrâneas contaminadas teve efeitos negativos na biodegradação dos hidrocarbonetos, uma vez que a vinhaça, como uma fonte de carbono facilmente assimilável, foi preferencialmente consumida.

Bioconcentration of Cd and Pb by the River Crab Trichodactylus fluviatilis (Crustacea: Decapoda)

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

Mercury Redox Chemistry in the Negro River Basin, Amazon: The Role of Organic Matter and Solar Light

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