Controlled growth of anodic aluminium oxide films with hexagonal array of nanometer-sized pores filled with textured copper nanowires

Anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) films exhibiting a homogeneous morphology of parallel pores perpendicular to the surface were prepared in a two-step anodization process and filled with copper by electrochemical deposition. The optimum growth conditions for the formation of freestanding AAO films with hexagonal compact array of cylindrical pores were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy and small angle X-ray scattering. The results show well-defined periodic structures with uniform pores size distribution for films with pore diameters between 40 and 70 nm prepared using different voltages and temperatures during the second anodization step. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis of AAO films filled with copper show the formation of nanowires with high structural order, exhibiting a preferential crystalline orientation along the (2 2 0) axis and only small fraction of copper oxides. The best results for textured Cu nanowires were obtained at a reduction potential of -300 mV. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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.

PLANT-TO-SEED TRANSMISSION of CURTOBACTERIUM FLACCUMFACIENS pv. FLACCUMACIENS IN A DRY BEAN CULTIVAR

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

Pathogenicity of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens to several plant species

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

Influence of various implant platform configurations on peri-implant tissue dimensions: an experimental study in dog

AimTo evaluate the influence (i) of various implant platform configurations and (ii) of implant surface characteristics on peri-implant tissue dimensions in a dog model.Material and methodsMandibular premolars and first molars were extracted bilaterally in six Labrador dogs. After 3 months of healing, two implants, one with a turned and a second with a moderately rough surface, were installed on each side of the mandible in the premolar region. on the right side of the mandible, implants with a tapered and enlarged platform were used, while standard cylindrical implants were installed in the left side of the mandible. Abutments with the diameter of the cylindrical implants were used resulting in a mismatch of 0.25 mm at the tapered implant sites. The flaps were sutured to allow a non-submerged healing. After 4 months, the animals were sacrificed and ground sections were obtained for histometric assessment.ResultsAll implants were completely osseointegrated. A minimal buccal bone resorption was observed for both implant configurations and surface topographies. Considering the animals as the statistical unit, no significant differences were found at the buccal aspect in relation to bone levels and soft tissue dimensions. The surface topographies did not influence the outcomes either.ConclusionsThe present study failed to show differences in peri-implant tissue dimensions when a mismatch of 0.25 mm from a tapered platform to an abutment was applied. The surface topographies influence a neither marginal bone resorption or peri-implant soft tissue dimension.To cite this article:Baffone GM, Botticelli D, Pantani F, Cardoso LC, Schweikert MT, Lang NP. Influence of various implant platform configurations on peri-implant tissue dimensions: an experimental study in dog.Clin. Oral Impl. Res. 22, 2011; 438-444.

Comparação de dois métodos de extração de Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli em sementes de feijoeiro

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the extraction of Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli from naturally infected dry bean seeds. Extraction methods tested included soaking whole seeds in sterilized saline phosphate buffer and crushing seeds after soaking in sterilized saline phosphate buffer. The bacterium was isolated on a semiselective agar medium. The seed crushing method was found to be more effective. The bacterium strains isolated were pathogenic to bean leaves, reacted with X. campestris pv. phaseoli antiserum, and had morphological and physiological/biochemical characteristics typical of the X. campestris pv. phaseoli.

Virulência de isolados Dexanthomonas campestris pv. Phaseoli (Smith) dye em feijoeiro

The objective of this research was to evaluate de reaction of leaves and pods of five cultivars of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) plants to twenty strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli. The strains were inoculated onto leaves in a greenhouse, and onto pods in a growth chamber. The results obtained were analyzed and the strains classified into three groups: low, medium, and high virulence. Most of the strains showed high virulence on leaves of Carioca and Rio Negro cultivars, as opposed to only low to medium virulence on leaves of IAPAR 14, IAPAR 16, and G. N. Nebraska # 1 sel. 27 cultivars. There were, however, individual strains powerful enough to overcome the leaf resistance of IAPAR 14, IAPAR 16, and G. N. Nebraska # 1 sel. 27. With regard to pods, most strains showed high virulence on all bean cultivars, with exception of IAPAR 14 where virulence was at medium level. A correlation between leaf and pod symptoms was found to exist in Carioca, Rio Negro, and IAPAR 14 cultivars. No such correlation was observed in IAPAR 16 and G. N. Nebraska # 1 sel. 27. Comparing strains producing melanine in vitro with those not producing this pigment, no difference was observed with regard to virulence.

Reação de genótipos de feijoeiro comum a Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli, Macrophomina phaseolina e Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli

The behavior of dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes PI 150414, PI 163117, PI 175829 white, PI 175829 purple, PI 175858, PI 197687, A 417, A 420, A 429, Xan 160, Xan 161, WISHBR 40, and IAC Carioca inoculated with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli, Macrophomina phaseolina, and Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli was evaluated under greenhouse condition. The bean genotypes Xan 160, PI 150414, A 417, PI 175829 purple, Xan 161, A 420, PI 163117, and PI 175829 white were resistant to F. oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli, and only PI 155829 white had a good level of resistance to M. phaseolina. All bean genotypes were susceptible to Feij-4 strain, and only Xan 161 had some level of leaf resistance to Feij-41 strain of X. campestris pv. phaseoli.

Array of Bose-Einstein condensates under time-periodic Feshbach-resonance management

The investigation of the dynamics of a discrete soliton in an array of Bose-Einstein condensates under the action of a periodically time-modulated atomic scattering length [Feshbach-resonance management (FRM)] was discussed. The slow and rapid modulations, in comparison with the tunneling frequency were considered. An averaged equation, which was a generalized discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation, including higher-order effective nonlinearities and intersite nonlinear interactions was derived in the case of the rapid modulation. It was demonstrated that the modulations of sufficient strength results in splitting of the soliton by direct simulations.

Macromolecular array patterns of silk gland secretion in social Hymenoptera larvae

The cocoon, produced by most holometabolous insects, is built with silk that is usually produced by the larval salivary gland. Although this silk has been widely studied in the Lepidoptera, its composition and macromolecular arrangement remains unknown in the Hymenoptera. The macromolecular array patterns of the silk in the larval salivary gland of some meliponids, wasps, and ants were analyzed with polarized-light microscopy, and they were compared with those of Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera). There is a birefringent secretion in the glandular lumen of all larvae, due to filamentous structural proteins that display anisotropy. The silk in the distal, middle and proximal regions of the secretory portion of Formicidae and Vespidae glands presented a lattice optical pattern. We found a different pattern in the middle secretory portion of the Meliponini, with a zigzag rather than a lattice pattern. This indicates that the biopolymer fibers begin their macromolecular reorganization at this glandular region, different from the Formicidae and the Vespidae, in which the zigzag optical pattern was only found at the lateral duct. Probably, the mechanism of silk production in the Hymenoptera is a characteristic inherited from a common ancestor of Vespoidea and Sphecoidea; the alterations in the pattern observed in the Meliponini could be a derived characteristic in the Hymenoptera. We found no similarity in the macromolecular reorganization patterns of the silk between the Hymenoptera species and the silkworm.

Semi-selective culture medium for Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. malvacearum detection in cotton seeds (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

The cotton disease known as angular leaf spot, caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. malvacearum (Xam) has been causing cotton losses in several producing regions around the world. Xam is transmitted by seeds, which may be infected both externally and internally. Infected seeds constitute the main long-distance dissemination mode of the pathogen. In view of this, the use of healthy seeds is a must. To accomplish that, detection methodologies for the bacteria must be developed be used in seed health analysis laboratories. This study aimed to develop a semi-selective medium for Xam detection in cotton seeds. The semi-selective culture medium was named MSSXAN and it was consisted of peptone (5.0 g), beef extract (3 g), sucrose (5 g), soluble starch (10 g), agar (15 g), CaCl 2 (0.25 g), Tween 80 (10 mL), distilled water (1,000 mL), crystal violet solution at 1% (150 μL), cephalexin (50 mg 1*), methyl thyophanate (10 mg*) and chlorothalonil (10 mg*) - *added after culture medium autoclaving. This MSSXAN medium shows low repressiveness to Xam and it be used for isolation of this bacteria in cotton seeds health analysis. © 2009 Academic Journals Inc.

Optimal clone identifier based on dynamic rules and process algebra

The rule creation to clone selection in different projects is a hard task to perform by using traditional implementations to control all the processes of the system. The use of an algebraic language is an alternative approach to manage all of system flow in a flexible way. In order to increase the power of versatility and consistency in defining the rules for optimal clone selection, this paper presents the software OCI 2 in which uses process algebra in the flow behavior of the system. OCI 2, controlled by an algebraic approach was applied in the rules elaboration for clone selection containing unique genes in the partial genome of the bacterium Bradyrhizobium elkanii Semia 587 and in the whole genome of the bacterium Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri. Copyright© (2009) by the International Society for Research in Science and Technology.

Development and validation of a Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri DNA microarray platform (XACarray) generated from the shotgun libraries previously used in the sequencing of this bacterial genome

Background. From shotgun libraries used for the genomic sequencing of the phytopathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (XAC), clones that were representative of the largest possible number of coding sequences (CDSs) were selected to create a DNA microarray platform on glass slides (XACarray). The creation of the XACarray allowed for the establishment of a tool that is capable of providing data for the analysis of global genome expression in this organism. Findings. The inserts from the selected clones were amplified by PCR with the universal oligonucleotide primers M13R and M13F. The obtained products were purified and fixed in duplicate on glass slides specific for use in DNA microarrays. The number of spots on the microarray totaled 6,144 and included 768 positive controls and 624 negative controls per slide. Validation of the platform was performed through hybridization of total DNA probes from XAC labeled with different fluorophores, Cy3 and Cy5. In this validation assay, 86% of all PCR products fixed on the glass slides were confirmed to present a hybridization signal greater than twice the standard deviation of the deviation of the global median signal-to-noise ration. Conclusions. Our validation of the XACArray platform using DNA-DNA hybridization revealed that it can be used to evaluate the expression of 2,365 individual CDSs from all major functional categories, which corresponds to 52.7% of the annotated CDSs of the XAC genome. As a proof of concept, we used this platform in a previously work to verify the absence of genomic regions that could not be detected by sequencing in related strains of Xanthomonas. © 2010 Moreira et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Evaluation of MPPT techniques for photovoltaic applications

This paper presents a careful evaluation among the most usual MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) techniques, doing meaningful comparisons with respect to the amount of energy extracted from the photovoltaic (PV) panel, PV voltage ripple, dynamic response and use of sensors. Firstly, the MPPT and boost converter models were implemented via MatLab/Simulink®, and after a DC to DC boost converter, digitally controlled, was implemented and connected to an Agilent Solar Array simulator, in order to validate the simulation results. The algorithms are digitally developed and the main experimental results are also presented from the implemented prototype. Furthermore, the experimental dynamic results and the computed tracking factors are presented. © 2011 IEEE.

Main maximum power point tracking strategies intended for photovoltaics

This paper presents evaluations among the most usual MPPT techniques, doing meaningful comparisons with respect to the amount of energy extracted from the photovoltaic panel (PV) (Tracking Factor - TF) in relation to the available power, PV voltage ripple, dynamic response and use of sensors. Using MatLab/Simulink® and DSpace platforms, a digitally controlled boost DC-DC converter was implemented and connected to an Agilent Solar Array E4350B simulator in order to verify the analytical procedures. The main experimental results are presented and a contribution in the implementation of the IC algorithm is performed and called IC based on PI. Moreover, the dynamic response and the tracking factor are also evaluated using a Friendly User Interface, which is capable of online program power curves and compute the TF. Finally, a typical daily insulation is used in order to verify the experimental results for the main PV MPPT methods. © 2011 IEEE.