A Preliminary and Qualitative Metallomics Study of Mercury in the Muscle of Fish from Amazonas, Brazil

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

A description of the growth of the major body components of 2 broiler chicken strains

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

Commissural nucleus of the solitary tract lesions reduce food intake and body weight gain in rats

This study investigated the effects of an electrolytic lesion of the commissural subnucleus of the nucleus of the solitary tract (commNTS) on bodyweight, daily food and water intake, and plasma glucose and insulin in rats. In the first 6 days following brain surgery, commNTS lesioned rats reduced daily food intake by 80% compared to rats with sham lesions. After this period rats with lesions of commNTS started recovering food intake, but intake remained significantly reduced until the 12th day after surgery. A reduction in body weight was observed 4 days after surgery and reached a maximum on the 12th day. After this, a partial recovery of body weight was observed, but weight remained significantly reduced compared to weights of rats with sham lesions through the conclusion of the study. Food intake and body weight gain in other rats with partial lesions of the commNTS or with lesions outside the commNTS did not differ from rats with sham lesions with regard to those variables. Daily water intake and plasma glucose and insulin were not changed by the commNTS lesions. These results suggest that commNTS is involved with mechanisms that control food intake and body weight in rats.

Effect of hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate on the prevention of the toxic effects of ochratoxin

We studied the efficacy of hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS) as an inhibitor of the toxic effects of ochratoxin in broilers from 1 to 42 d of age. A total of 288 broilers was distributed into four treatments with four replicates of 18 birds each: T1, control; T2, 0.25% HSCAS; T3, 2 ppm of ochratoxin; T4, 0.25% HSCAS + 2 ppm ochratoxin. The parameters evaluated were feed intake; weight gain; feed conversion; relative weights of the liver, kidneys, and bursa; and serum levels of Ca, P, total protein (TP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and γ-glutamiltransferase (GGT). Ochratoxin in the diet negatively affected (P < 0.05) all performance parameters evaluated when the birds were 21 and 42 d of age. However, HSCAS did not affect performance, and there was no interaction between HSCAS and dietary ochratoxin. The liver and the kidneys of birds fed ochratoxin with or without HSCAS were relatively heavier (P < 0.05) than those of the control birds, demonstrating the influence of ochratoxin, but not of HSCAS, on the relative weight of these organs. Although the bursa of birds exposed to ochratoxin with or without HSCAS had a lower relative weight as compared to control birds, the difference was not significant. Ca, P, and TP serum levels were lower (P < 0.05) in birds exposed to ochratoxin, whereas AST and GGT levels were higher (P < 0.05) in these birds. These results reflect that ochratoxin in the diet impaired the productivity indexes and that HSCAS did not improve these parameters.

Free diet selection by broilers as influenced by dietary macronutrient ratio and corticosterone supplementation. 1. Diet selection, organ weights, and plasma metabolites

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Tuning of fuzzy inference systems through unconstrained optimization techniques

This paper presents a new methodology for the adjustment of fuzzy inference systems. A novel approach, which uses unconstrained optimization techniques, is developed in order to adjust the free parameters of the fuzzy inference system, such as its intrinsic parameters of the membership function and the weights of the inference rules. This methodology is interesting, not only for the results presented and obtained through computer simulations, but also for its generality concerning to the kind of fuzzy inference system used. Therefore, this methodology is expandable either to the Mandani architecture or also to that suggested by Takagi-Sugeno. The validation of the presented methodology is accomplished through an estimation of time series. More specifically, the Mackey-Glass chaotic time series estimation is used for the validation of the proposed methodology.

Efficient parametric adjustment of fuzzy inference system using unconstrained optimization

This paper presents a new methodology for the adjustment of fuzzy inference systems, which uses technique based on error back-propagation method. The free parameters of the fuzzy inference system, such as its intrinsic parameters of the membership function and the weights of the inference rules, are automatically adjusted. This methodology is interesting, not only for the results presented and obtained through computer simulations, but also for its generality concerning to the kind of fuzzy inference system used. Therefore, this methodology is expandable either to the Mandani architecture or also to that suggested by Takagi-Sugeno. The validation of the presented methodology is accomplished through estimation of time series and by a mathematical modeling problem. More specifically, the Mackey-Glass chaotic time series is used for the validation of the proposed methodology. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.

Effect of plastic film mulch on the production of butterhead lettuce cultivars under protected cultivation

The study was performed in a greenhouse with the aim of evaluating the production of butterhead lettuce cultivars with and without plastic film mulch in the summer. The cultivars studied were 'Elisa', 'Lídia', 'Herman' and 'Luísa'. The experimental design was a split plot, in which the main plot was plastic film mulch (with or without black polyethylene film) and the subplots were the cultivars, with three repetitions. The seedlings were grown in Styrofoam trays of 288 cells and transplanted 25 days after seeding in a space of 25 × 25 cm. Harvests were carried out 45 days after transplanting and the following variables were determined: fresh and dry weights of the aerial part, number of leaves per plant, plant height and the longitudinal and transverse diameters of the plant. Significant differences were found only among the cultivars for the characteristics studied, with no cover × cultivar interaction. Fresh weight of the aerial part of 'Lídia' (270.9 g) was greater than that of 'Herman' (142.5 g), but did not differ from those of 'Luísa' (229.8 g) or 'Elisa' (204.8). The dry weight of the aerial part of 'Lídia' (12.4 g) differed statistically only with respect to that of 'Herman' (7.9 g). The cultivars 'Luísa' and 'Elisa' had an aerial part dry weight of 11.4 and 11.2 g, respectively. The number of leaves per plant of the cultivars 'Luísa' (45.1) and 'Elisa' (43.0) was higher than for 'Herman' (24.05), but did not differ from that of the cultivar 'Lídia' (39.5). The mean transverse and longitudinal diameters, as well as the mean height of the plants, showed that 'Lídia', 'Elisa' and 'Luísa' had the greatest values. The cultivars 'Lídia', 'Elisa' and 'Luísa' were the most productive and plastic film mulch had no effect on lettuce production under protected cultivation.

Hematological and incubation parameters of chicks from young breeders eggs: Variation with sex and incubation temperature

This experiment analyzed the effect of sex and incubation temperature on daily mass loss and eggshell conductance, embryo mortality rates, incubation duration, hematological parameters and body, liver, heart and bursa weights of neonatal chicks from young breeders. The daily mass loss was higher at incubation temperature of 39°C. The eggshell conductance rate increased with the temperature. The total and partial duration of incubation were lower for eggs incubated at 39°C. The time taken by the chick to leave the eggshell did not differ below and above the thermoneutral temperature. The total and intermediate embryo mortality rates increased with the incubation temperature, whereas the early and late embryo mortality rates were higher at incubation temperature of 39°C. Sex did not influence the analyzed parameters, while the incubation temperature did not affect the body and bursa weight and the erythrocytes characteristics. The liver weight of chicks incubated at 36°C was higher than the incubated at 39°C, however there were no differences among the liver weight from chicks incubated at 36 and 39°C and those incubated at 37.5°C. The number of heterophils and the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio (H/L ratio) increased following the temperature, whereas the number of lymphocytes decreased at high temperatures. The other leukocyte parameters did not suffer influence of temperature. Males and females presented similar response to variation of incubation temperatures (36, 37.5 and 39°C) and demonstrated higher sensibility to temperatures above the thermoneutral. Moreover, temperatures below the thermoneutral demonstrated to be better for improvement of hatchability and development of chicks from light eggs. © Asian Network for Scientific Information, 2010.

Digestibility, fermentation and rumen microbiota of crossbred heifers fed diets with different soybean oil availabilities in the rumen

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of different soybean oil availabilities on the intake and partial and total digestibility of dry matter (DM) and nutrients, rumen fermentation parameters, efficiency of microbial synthesis, and the rumen microbiota of crossbred beef heifers. Nine crossbred heifers fitted with rumen and duodenal cannulae were evaluated in a triple 3 × 3 Latin square design with three treatments and three periods in three simultaneous repetitions. Heifers approximately 18 months old, with mean initial and final body weights of 316.3±28.8 and 362.6±34.4 kg, respectively, were fed a diet containing 600. g/kg of corn silage and 400. g/kg concentrate with a 58.0. g/kg fat content in the total diet. The sources of lipids included soybean grain, rumen-protected fat, and soybean oil. The statistical analyses were conducted using PROC MIXED from SAS, and the means were compared using Tukey's test (P<0.05). Dietary lipid sources did not affect nutrient intake (P>0.05). Except the apparent digestibility of organic matter (P=0.024), the apparent digestibility of the other nutrients did not differ among the treatment groups. Regarding body nitrogen retention, the soybean grain treatment was more effective than the rumen-protected fat treatment (P=0.045); however, the soybean oil treatment did not differ from the other two treatments. In relation to the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis (g. N/kg of organic matter apparently digested in the rumen corrected for microbial organic matter), the soybean oil and soybean grain treatments were more efficient than the rumen-protected fat treatment (P=0.001). Animals fed rumen-protected fat had larger numbers of protozoa (P<0.001) and fungi (P<0.001) than those supplemented with soybean grain and soybean oil. The dietary lipid sources did not affect pH, the molar concentration of propionate and total volatile fatty acids (P>0.05), whereas the concentrations of ammonia nitrogen and acetate were higher in animals fed with rumen-protected fat than in those submitted to the other treatments. The use of different soybean oil availabilities did not affect nutrient intake; however, treatments with soybean oil and soybean grain were more efficient regarding nutrient intake than rumen-protected fat because they reduced the numbers of fungi and protozoa and consequently improved the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Severity of temporomandibular disorders in women: validity and reliability of the Fonseca Anamnestic Index

The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Fonseca Anamnestic Index (IAF), used to assess the severity of temporomandibular disorders, applied to Brazilian women. We used a probabilistic sampling design. The participants were 700 women over 18 years of age, living in the city of Araraquara (SP). The IAF questionnaire was applied by telephone interviews. We conducted Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using Chi-Square Over Degrees of Freedom (χ2/df), Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI), and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) as goodness of fit indices. We calculated the convergent validity, the average variance extracted (AVE) and the composite reliability (CR). Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α).The factorial weights of questions 8 and 10 were below the adequate values. Thus, we refined the original model and these questions were excluded. The resulting factorial model showed appropriate goodness of fit to the sample (χ2/df = 3.319, CFI = 0.978, TLI = 0.967, RMSEA = 0.058). The convergent validity (AVE = 0.513, CR = 0.878) and internal consistency (α = 0.745) were adequate. The reduced IAF version showed adequate validity and reliability in a sample of Brazilian women.

Development of the male reproductive system in Callinectes ornatus Ordway, 1863 (Brachyura: Portunidae)

This study describes the histology and histochemistry of the male reproductive system in Callinectes ornatus, comparing juvenile and adult developmental stages. We also analyzed changes in the gonadosomatic (GSI) and hepatosomatic (HSI) indices, and the weights of the testis and vas deferens during the development. The results showed that all stages, beginning with the juvenile (JUV), through developing (DEV) and mature (MAT) adult males of C. ornatus produce sperm and spermatophores. During development, testicular lobes showed the same characteristics of production and release of sperm into the seminiferous duct. The vas deferens showed little histological and histochemical change in the epithelium in juvenile and adult males. The differences consisted of the larger amount of secretion in MAT males compared to JUV and DEV ones. The chemical composition of the seminal fluid was similar, but MAT males produced a more homogeneous secretion. Morphological and physiological maturation are not synchronized in C. ornatus, since JUV males produced spermatophores similar to those in DEV and MAT males. However, these JUV are not yet able to reproduce, since they still have the abdomen attached to the cephalothoracic sternum. The increase of the GSI during development was significant for MAT males, and is related to the production of sufficient volume of seminal fluid to form the sperm plug in the female seminal receptacle. The HSI decreased from DEV to MAT adult stages, indicating that reserves from the hepatopancreas are used to develop the reproductive system after the pubertal molt.

Development of pachycoris torridus (hemiptera: scutelleridae) on jatropha curcas (euphorbiaceae), psidium cattleianum (myrtaceae) and aleurites fordii (euphorbiaceae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Physiological Parameters in Neonatal Lambs of the Bergamasca Breed

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

Allometry of Organs and the Gastrintestinal Tract from Water Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) Finished in Feedlot

The objective of present study was to evaluate the relative growth of organs and viscera from water buffaloes. Fifteen Mediterranean intact males, averaging, 356.7 kg initial live weight and twenty four months of age, were used. The animals were ramdomly assigned into three groups (categories). One group was ramdomly assigned to immediate slaughter (AR), the rest two groups were full-fed a ration containing 50% concentrate, dry matter basis until reaching the slaughter weights of 450 and 500kg, respectively. At slaughter the empty body weight was determined and the weights of head, feet, leather, lungs, heart, liver, spleen, rumen-reticulum, omasum, abomasum, small intestine, large intestine were recorded. Regression equations of log weight of organs and viscera as a function of log empty-body-weight (EBW), were fitted. All body components studied, with exception of liver and spleen, developed slower than in relation to EBW.