Extrações de óleos de sementes de citros e suas atividades sobre a formiga cortadeira Atta sexdens e seu fungo simbionte

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

Superação de dormência das sementese controle químico de plantas de Momordicacharantia L

This experiment were performed to evaluate methods of seeds scarification for overcoming dormancy and the efficacy of six herbicides registered for sugarcane to control adult plants of Mcharantia. The experimental design was completely randomized, with four replications in both trials. The first trial is a factorial 2x8 (two times of seeds collection (2006 and 2007) with eight methods of breaking dormancy (mechanical scarification; 100% and 50% concentrated sulfuric acid; 2% potassium nitrate for three and six hours; heat dried at 60 degrees C; hot water at 60 degrees C and an untreated control). In the second trial evaluated the control of M. charantia through six different herbicides: Imazapic, Metsulfuron-methyl, Metribuzin, 2,4-D, Amicarbazone, Paraquat and a control without herbicide application. Thus, it can be concluded that the seeds were immersed in concentrated sulfuric acid for three minutes and potassium nitrate for three hours gave a higher percentage and germination speed and the herbicide Metribuzin reached, albeit belatedly, a total control of M. charantia.

Acupuntura: bases científicas e aplicações

A acupuntura visa à terapia e à cura das enfermidades pela aplicação de estímulos através da pele, com a inserção de agulhas em pontos específicos. Essa técnica esteve isolada do mundo ocidental durante milênios, distanciando sua forma de raciocínio e linguagem da cultura ocidental. Isto restringe sua aceitação no Ocidente, sendo considerada mística e sem base científica. Além disso, a prática da acupuntura no Ocidente se depara com deficiências no ensino e difusão científica. Porém, a eficácia dessa terapia levou a Organização Mundial de Saúde a listar enfermidades que podem ser tratadas pela acupuntura e, recentemente, essa técnica foi reconhecida como especialidade médica veterinária no Brasil. A pesquisa da acupuntura reveste-se, portanto, de grande interesse, na medida em que poderá traduzir conhecimentos milenares, contribuindo para sua aceitação e incorporação.

Construction of an alkaline phosphatase-liposome system: a tool for biomineralization study

Alkaline phosphatase is required for the mineralization of bone and cartilage. This enzyme is localized in the matrix vesicle, which plays a role key in calcifying cartilage. In this paper. we standardize a method for construction an alkaline phosphatase liposome system to mimic matrix vesicles and examine a some kinetic behavior of the incorporated enzyme. Polidocanol-solubilized alkaline phosphatase, free of detergent, was incorporated into liposomes constituted from dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), dilaurilphosphatidylcholine (DLPC) or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). This process was time-dependent and >95% of the enzyme was incorporated into the liposome after 4 h of incubation at 25 degreesC. Although, incorporation was more rapid when vesicles constituted from DPPC were used, the incorporation was more efficient using vesicles constituted from DMPC. The 395 nm diameter of the alkaline phosphatase-liposome system was relatively homogeneous and more stable when stored at 4 degreesC.Alkaline phosphatase was completely released from liposome system only using purified phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC). These experiments confirm that the interaction between alkaline phosphatase and lipid bilayer of liposome is via GPI anchor of the enzyme, alone. An important point shown is that an enzyme bound to liposome does not lose the ability to hydrolyze ATP, pyrophosphate and p-nitrophenyl phosphate (PNPP), but a liposome environment affects its kinetic properties, specifically for pyrophosphate.The standardization of such system allows the study of the effect of phospholipids and the enzyme in in vitro and in vivo mineralization, since it reproduces many essential features of the matrix vesicle. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Crescimento e deposição de nutrientes nos órgãos de frangos de corte de duas linhagens comerciais

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

Curvas de crescimento e de deposição dos componentes corporais em aves de postura de diferentes linhagens

Objetivou-se com este trabalho determinar as curvas de crescimento de aves de postura das linhagens semipesadas Hy Line Marrom (HLM) e Hisex Marrom (HSM) e leves Hy Line W36 (HLW36) e Hisex Branca (HSB). Foram utilizadas 300 aves de cada linhagem, distribuídas em um delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, com quatro repetições de 75 aves por tratamento. Semanalmente, foram avaliados o peso vivo (PV), o peso de pena (PP) e a composição corporal de proteína, gordura, cinzas e água. As curvas de crescimento foram determinadas aplicando-se os dados na função de Gompertz. As aves semipesadas foram mais tardias para PV que as leves, com taxas de crescimento corporal e pesos à maturidade (PM) maiores. Aves da linhagem HLW36 foram 64,23 g mais leves à maturidade que as HSB. As respostas obtidas para o crescimento das penas e deposição protéica foram semelhantes, todavia, os PM foram maiores para as aves marrons que para as brancas. No entanto, para estes componentes, as Hy Line tiveram maiores deposições que as Hisex. A taxa de peso de pena à maturidade foi menor na linhagem HLW36, tornando-a três dias mais tardia em comparação à HSB. A menor deposição protéica no final do período de crescimento da HSM possibilitou o desvio da energia ingerida para deposição de gordura, resultando em PM superestimado em relação às aves HLM. As aves da linhagem Hy Line foram mais tardias na composição de cinzas, apresentando PM superiores ao das aves Hisex. Entre as variáveis estudadas, os PM foram sempre maiores nas aves Hy Line, no entanto, a deposição de água corporal nas aves Hisex foi maior, assim como as taxas máximas à maturidade foram mais tardias, o que justifica a semelhança no ganho de peso entre as diferentes linhagens, visto que os demais componentes estudados foram maiores para as Hy Line.

GREEN MACHINING ORIENTED TO DIMINISH DENSITY GRADIENT FOR MINIMIZATION of DISTORTION IN ADVANCED CERAMICS

After sintering advanced ceramics, there are invariably distortions, caused in large part by the heterogeneous distribution of density gradients along the compacted piece. To correct distortions, machining is generally used to manufacture pieces within dimensional and geometric tolerances. Hence, narrow material removal limit conditions are applied, which minimize the generation of damage. Another alternative is machining the compacted piece before sintering, called the green ceramic stage, which allows machining without damage to mechanical strength. Since the greatest concentration of density gradients is located in the outer-most layers of the compacted piece, this study investigated the removal of different allowance values by means of green machining. The output variables are distortion after sintering, tool wear, cutting force, and the surface roughness of the green ceramics and the sintered ones. The following results have been noted: less distortion is verified in the sintered piece after 1mm allowance removal; and the higher the tool wear the worse the surface roughness of both green and sintered pieces.

A New Approach for Real Time Fault Diagnosis in Induction Motors Based on Vibration Measurement

Condition monitoring is used to increase machinery availability and machinery performance, reducing consequential damage, increasing machine life, reducing spare parts inventories, and reducing breakdown maintenance. An efficient real time vibration measurement and analysis instruments is capable of providing warning and predicting faults at early stages. In this paper, a new methodology for the implementation of vibration measurement and analysis instruments in real time based on circuit architecture mapped from a MATLAB/Simulink model is presented. In this study, signal processing applications such as FIR filters and fast Fourier transform are treated as systems, which are implemented in hardware using a system generator toolbox, which translates a Simulink model in a hardware description language - HDL for FPGA implementations.

EMOTIONAL BURDEN IN CAREGIEVERS of PATIENTS WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIEVE DISORDER

The objective of this study was to evaluate the emotional burden, psychological morbidity, and level of family accommodation in caregivers of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients, according to sociodemographic and clinical factors. Methods: Fifty Brazilian DSM-IV OCD patients and their caregivers were evaluated using the Family Accommodation Scale, the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), the Self-Report Questionnaire (caregivers), the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory (patients). Most caregivers (80%) were aged between 30 and 59 years and lived with the patient (88%). Results: Forty-two percent presented a common mental disorder and their mean ZBI score was 28.9. Family accommodation was moderate in 26% and severe or very severe in 24%. Caregivers' levels of psychological morbidity, accommodation, and emotional burden were associated with each other and with the severity of patient obsessive-compulsive and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: The results suggest that caregivers of OCD patients have important levels of burden and psychological morbidity and should receive orientation and support to minimize this emotional impact. Depression and Anxiety 25:1020-1027, 2008. (C) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER IN PATIENTS WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER: PREVALENCE and CLINICAL CORRELATES

Background The prevalence, sociodemographic aspects, and clinical features of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in patients with obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD) have been previously addressed in primarily relatively small samples. Methods We performed a cross-sectional demographic and clinical assessment of 901 OCD patients participating in the Brazilian Research Consortium on Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders. We used the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders; Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale; Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DY-BOCS); Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale; Clinical Global Impression Scale; and Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Results The lifetime prevalence of BDD was 12.1%. The individuals with comorbid BDD (OCD-BDD; n = 109) were younger than were those without it. In addition, the proportions of single and unemployed patients were greater in the OCD-BDD group. This group of patients also showed higher rates of suicidal behaviors; mood, anxiety, and eating disorders; hypochondriasis; skin picking; Tourette syndrome; and symptoms of the sexual/religious, aggressive, and miscellaneous dimensions. Furthermore, OCD-BDD patients had an earlier onset of OC symptoms; greater severity of OCD, depression, and anxiety symptoms; and poorer insight. After logistic regression, the following features were associated with OCD-BDD: current age; age at OCD onset; severity of the miscellaneous DY-BOCS dimension; severity of depressive symptoms; and comorbid social phobia, dysthymia, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and skin picking. Conclusions Because OCD patients might not inform clinicians about concerns regarding their appearance, it is essential to investigate symptoms of BDD, especially in young patients with early onset and comorbid social anxiety, chronic depression, skin picking, or eating disorders. Depression and Anxiety 29: 966-975, 2012. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Antibacterial effectiveness of several irrigating solutions and the Endox Plus system - an ex vivo study

Aim To compare the ex vivo antibacterial effectiveness of the Endox Plus system and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) in combination with BioPure MTAD (Tulsa Dental, Tulsa, OK, USA) or with EDTA in Enterococcus faecalis-contaminated root canals.Methodology After initial preparation, the root canals of 70 single-rooted human teeth were inoculated with E. faecalis (ATCC 29212) and incubated for 21 days. Specimens were divided into five groups: Endox Plus/saline; 2.5% NaOCl/MTAD; 2.5% NaOCl/EDTA; saline (positive control); negative control (root canals not prepared, nor irrigated). Samples were collected using paper points. Microbiological analysis evaluated the number of CFUs. Data were analysed by anova and Tukey tests at 0.05 significance.Results All specimens had bacterial growth after the incubation period, with similar CFU per mL counts (P > 0.05). After chemo-mechanical preparation, the number of bacteria in all groups reduced, except for the negative control. No significant differences were observed between 2.5% NaOCl/MTAD and 2.5% NaOCl/EDTA, but these groups had lower CFU counts than the other groups (P < 0.05). In the final samples, an increase in the bacterial counts was observed for Endox Plus/saline, 2.5% NaOCl/MTAD, 2.5% NaOCl/EDTA and saline (P < 0.05) with no significant differences between these groups.Conclusions This ex vivo study revealed that the Endox Plus system was associated with a reduced antibacterial effectiveness compared with conventional irrigation using 2.5% NaOCl/MTAD and 2.5% NaOCl/EDTA. All irrigation procedures allowed recovery of bacteria 7 days after treatment, demonstrating persistence of contamination within the root canal system.