Colheita mecanizada e perdas quantitativas de sementes de crotalária

In mechanized harvesting of seeds can occur losses, which reduce productivity, decrease the profitability and can do serious damage to the producer. The objective of this work was to evaluate the quantitative seed losses of Crotalaria juncea depending on the harvester speed and the rotation of the threshing cylinder. The experiment was conducted in the area of Education, Research and Production Unesp/Jaboticabal, using a entirely casualized design on factorial away 2x3, with two-speed displacement of the machine (1.8 and 3.2 km h(-1)) and three rotations of threshing cylinder (750, 800 and 850 rpm), with 4 repetitions. It was concluded that the measures relating to the development of the plants showed homogeneous behavior, indicating little dispersion of the data. It was observed that the rate of displacement of the harvester and rotation of the drum track not affected the losses in the plataform of cutting. The largest losses of crotalaria seeds occurred on the plataform of cutting the harvester machine, in the form of pods not harvested. It was observed that the total losses in the harvest of crotalaria seed were high, and the losses in pods on the soil, responsible for almost all the losses encountered.

Cellulose nanocomposites with nanofibres isolated from pineapple leaf fibers for medical applications

Nanocellulose is the crystalline domains obtained from renewable cellulosic sources, used to increase mechanical properties and biodegrability in polymer composites. This work has been to study how high pressure defibrillation and chemical purification affect the PALF fibre morphology from micro to nanoscale. Microscopy techniques and X-ray diffraction were used to study the structure and properties of the prepared nanofibers and composites. Microscopy studies showed that the used individualization processes lead to a unique morphology of interconnected web-like structure of PALF fibers. The produced nanofibers were bundles of cellulose fibers of widths ranging between 5 and 15 nm and estimated lengths of several micrometers. Percentage yield and aspect ratio of the nanofiber obtained by this technique is found to be very high in comparison with other conventional methods. The nanocomposites were prepared by means of compression moulding, by stacking the nanocellulose fibre mats between polyurethane films. The results showed that the nanofibrils reinforced the polyurethane efficiently. The addition of 5 wt% of cellulose nanofibrils to PU increased the strength nearly 300% and the stiffness by 2600%. The developed composites were utilized to fabricate various versatile medical implants. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermal analysis characterization of PAAm-co-MC hydrogels

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Emergência e desenvolvimento de plântulas de maracujazeiro azedo oriundas de sementes tratadas com bioestimulante

O objetivo do trabalho foi estudar os efeitos de bioestimulante na emergência e no desenvolvimento de plântulas de Passiflora edulis Sims.f. flavicarpa Deg. O experimento foi conduzido sob cultivo protegido, com temperatura controlada (25ºC), no Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, UNESP, Câmpus de Botucatu-SP. As sementes receberam os tratamentos com as concentrações 0 (testemunha); 4; 8; 12; 16 e 20 ml de bioestimulante/kg de semente e foram semeadas em bandejas de isopor contendo substrato comercial. O bioestimulante empregado é constituído por 0,005% de ácido índolbutírico (auxina), 0,009% de cinetina (citocinina) e 0,005% de ácido giberélico (giberelina). O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, com seis tratamentos e cinco repetições de 24 sementes. As avaliações de porcentagem de emergência de plântulas foram realizadas semanalmente, bem como o comprimento de caule e raiz, diâmetro do caule, número de folhas, área foliar e massa seca de raiz, caule e folha, aos 35 dias após a semeadura. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância e regressão polinomial, ao nível de 5% de probabilidade. As concentrações de 12 e 16 ml de bioestimulante/kg de semente aplicado às sementes promoveram as maiores porcentagens de emergência e desenvolvimento de plântulas.

Evaluation of Cu, Mn, and Se in Vegetables Using Ultrasonic Extraction and GFAAS Quantification

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

Effect of thyroid hormone T3 on Myosin-Va expression in the central nervous system

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Florística e fitossociologia em parcelas permanentes da Mata Atlântica do sudeste do Brasil ao longo de um gradiente altitudinal

This paper summarizes floristic and phytossociology data of 11, out of 14 plots of 1 ha, allocated along an altitudinal gradient in the Serra do Mar, Silo Paulo, Brazil. The study was conducted at Serra do Mar State Park and the plots start at the sea level (10 m - plot of Restinga Forest that occurs at Praia da Fazenda, Picinguaba, municipality of Ubatuba) up to 1100 m above sea level (the Montane Ombrophilous Dense occurs alongside the Itamambuca Trail, municipality of Silo Luis do Paraitinga). The Restinga Forest occurs in Pleistocenic Coastal Plain where the soil is classified as a sandy Quartzipsamment (Quartzenic Neosol), while along the slopes of the Serra do Mar, the Ombrophylus Dense Forest grows on the top of a pre-Cambrian crystalline basement with granitic rocks, where the soil is a sandy-loam Dystrophic Inceptisol (Cambisol/Latosol). In all 14 plots soils are acidic (pH 3 - 4), chemically poor, with high dilution of nutrients and high saturation of aluminum. In the Restinga and at the foot of the slope the climate is Tropical/Subtropical Humid (Af/Cfa), with no dry season, an average annual rainfall over 2,200 mm and an average annual temperature of 22 degrees C. Towards the top of the Serra do Mar there is a gradual cooling along the slope, but there is no reduction in rainfall, so at 1,100 m above sea level the climate is classified as Humid Subtropical (Cfa/Cfb), with no dry season and an average annual temperature of 17 degrees C. It is important to remark that, almost daily, from 400 m above sea level up to the top of slopes the mountains are covered by a dense fog. In the 14 plots 21,733 individuals with DBH >= 4.8 cm, including trees, palms and ferns, were marked, measured and sampled. The average number of individuals sampled in each plot was 1264 ind.ha(-1)(+/- 218 SE 95%). Within the parameters considered trees prevailed (71% in the Montane ODF to 90% in the Restinga Forest), followed by palms (10% in the RF and 25% in the Montane Ombrophilous Dense Forest/ODF) and ferns (0% % in the RF and 4% in the Montane ODF). Regarding these proportions the Exploited Lowlands ODF differs from the others with only 1.8% of palm trees and striking 10% of ferns. The forest canopy is irregular with heights ranging from 7 to 9 m, rarely emergent trees reach 18 m, and due to this irregularity of the canopy the amount of light that gets through sets conditions for the development of hundreds of epiphytic species. Aside from Montana ODF, where the number of dead trees was more than 5% of individuals sampled, in the other phytophysiognomies this value was below 2.5%. In the 11 plots where the floristic study was conducted we found 562 species in 195 genera and 68 families. Only seven species - Euterpe edulis Mart. (Arecaceae), Calyptranthes lucida Mart. ex DC. and Marlierea tomentosa Cambess (both Myrtaceae), Guapira opposita (Veil.) Reitz (Nyctaginaceae), Cupania oblongifolia Mart. (Sapindaceae), Cecropia glaziovii Snethl. and Coussapoa microcarpa (Schott) Rizzini (both Urticaceae) - occurred from Restinga to Montane ODF, while 12 other species did not occur only in the Restinga Forest. Families with the greatest number of species are Myrtaceae (133 spp), Fabaceae (47 spp), Rubiaceae (49) and Lauraceae (49) throughout the gradient and Monimiaceae (21) specifically in portions Montane ODF. Only in the F plot, where logging has occurred between 1950 and 1985, the abundance of palm trees has been replaced by Cyatheaceae. The study shows a peak of diversity and richness, Shannon-Weiner index (H') ranging from 3.96 to 4.48 nats.ind(-1), in the intermediate altitudes (300 to 400 m) along the slope. Several explanations for this result are raised here, including the fact that these elevations are within the limits expansions and retractions of the different phytophysiognomies of the Atlantic ODF due to climate fluctuations during the Pleistocene. The results presented in this paper demonstrate the extraordinary richness of tree species of the Atlantic Rainforest from the northeastern coast of the State of São Paulo, reinforcing the importance of its conservation throughout the altitudinal gradient. The richness of this forest justifies a long term commitment to study its dynamics and functioning through permanent plots, and monitor the impacts of climate change in this vegetation.

Florestas de restinga e de terras baixas na planície costeira do sudeste do Brasil: vegetação e heterogeneidade ambiental

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

Balance, executive functions and falls in elderly with Alzheimer's disease (AD): A longitudinal study

Elderly individuals with AD are more susceptible to falls, which might be associated with decrements in their executive functions and balance, among other things. We aimed to analyze the effects of a program of dual task physical activity on falls, executive functions and balance of elderly individuals with AD. We studied 21 elderly with probable AD, allocated to two groups: the training group (TG), with 10 elderly who participated in a program of dual task physical activity; and the control group (CG), with 11 elderly who were not engaged in regular practice of physical activity. The Clock Drawing Test (CDT) and the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) were used in the assessment of the executive functions, while the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Timed Up-and-Go (TUG)-test evaluated balance. The number of falls was obtained by means of a questionnaire. We observed a better performance of the TG as regards balance and executive functions. Moreover, the lower the number of steps in the TUG scale, the higher the scores in the CDT, and in the FAB. The practice of regular physical activity with dual task seems to have contributed to the maintenance and improvement of the motor and cognitive functions of the elderly with AD. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Excessive iodine intake in schoolchildren

Inadequate iodine intake may result in iodine deficiency disorders (IDD). Thus, for more than 50 years, policies for the regulation of salt fortification with iodine have existed in Brazil. In 2003, a study on 6-14-year-old schoolchildren from regions of the state of So Paulo showed a median urinary iodine concentration of 360 mu g/L. The objective of the present study was to assess the iodine nutrition status among schoolchildren.The study was conducted on 828 schoolchildren aged 4-13 years from eight schools in the interior of the state of So Paulo. A casual urine sample was collected from each volunteer for iodine determination by the adapted method of Sandell-Kalthoff.Only 1.9% (n = 16) of the children evaluated had low values of urinary iodine (< 100 mu g/L), while 24.6% had urinary iodine excretion values between 200 and 300 mu g/L, and 67.1% had values above > 300 mu g/L.The results show that the iodine nutritional status of the schoolchildren studied is characterized by a high urinary iodine excretion, which might reveal an increase in iodine consumption by this population.

Eficácia do tetra-test como ferramenta de gestão da qualidade do leite cru refrigerado

The effectiveness of a new management tool for screening refrigerated raw milk quality in a dairy industry is provided. Three hundred and seventy-four samples of raw milk from individual producers and 125 samples from bulk milk carriers from the same producers were analyzed. Producers' samples underwent a fast tube reduction test, or Tetra-Test, to estimate total bacteriological charge and their predominant microbiota. Bulk milk samples underwent standard plate count (SPC) as reference method. Tetra-test was effective in screening and assessing the microbiological quality of refrigerated raw milk, since 82.4% of samples with more than 106UFC/mL were readily detected (5 minutes to 2h). The test may be employed as a management tool either in screening or in interventions on the detected problem. In fact, its results provided complementary information on the characteristics of dominant microbiota. Most samples failed in compliance to IN 51 requirements. Further, 211 samples (56.4%) showed high microbial charge and, consequently, poor quality raw milk. Psychrotrophic groups were not yet the main degrading factors of cooled raw milk, albeit present in 76.8% of samples.

In vitro activity of pineapple extracts (Ananas comosus, Bromeliaceae) on Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae)

Measures to control the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, based only on chemical products are becoming unsustainable, mainly because of the development of resistance. The objective of this study was to test the effect of the aqueous extract of pineapple skin (AEPS) and bromelain extracted from the stem (Sigma-Aldrich®, B4882) on engorged females and larvae of R. (B.) microplus in vitro. These substances were diluted in water and evaluated at eight concentrations. Engorged females were collected and distributed in groups of 10, with three repetitions for each treatment. After immersion in the solutions, the females were placed in an incubator for observation of survival, oviposition and larval hatching. The larval packet method was used, also with three repetitions with about 100 larvae each. The packets were incubated and the readings were performed after 24h. The estimated reproduction and efficacy of the solutions were calculated. The LC50 and LC90 were estimated using the Probit procedure of the SAS program. The eight concentrations were compared within each treatment by the Tukey test. For the experiment with engorged females, the most effective concentrations were 125, 250 and 500mg/mL: 33%, 48% and 59% for the AEPS and 27%, 51% and 55% for the bromelain. The LC50 and LC90 values were, respectively, 276 and 8691mg/mL for AEPS and 373 and 5172mg/mL for bromelain. None of the dilutions tested was effective against the larvae of R. (B.) microplus. This is the first report of the action of pineapple extracts or their constituents on cattle ticks. The results demonstrate that further studies regarding composition of tick cuticle, with evaluation of other solvents and formulations, should be conducted seeking to enhance the effect of pineapple extracts and compounds against this ectoparasite. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Propolis and its constituent caffeic acid suppress LPS-stimulated pro-inflammatory response by blocking NF-κB and MAPK activation in macrophages

Ethnopharmacological relevance Propolis is a bee product with numerous biological and pharmacological properties, such as immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities. It has been used in folk medicine as a healthy drink and in food to improve health and prevent inflammatory diseases. However, little is known about its mechanism of action. Thus, the goal of this study was to verify the antioxidant activity and to explore the anti-inflammatory properties of propolis by addressing its intracellular mechanism of action. Caffeic acid was investigated as a possible compound responsible for propolis action. Materials and methods The antioxidant properties of propolis and caffeic acid were evaluated by using the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH) scavenging method. To analyze the anti-inflammatory activity, Raw 264.7 macrophages were treated with different concentrations of propolis or caffeic acid, and nitric oxide (NO) production, a strong pro-inflammatory mediator, was evaluated by the Griess reaction. The concentrations of propolis and caffeic acid that inhibited NO production were evaluated on intracellular signaling pathways triggered during inflammation, namely p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), c-jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK1/2), the transcription nuclear factor (NF)-κB and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), through Western blot using specific antibodies. A possible effect of propolis on the cytotoxicity of hepatocytes was also evaluated, since this product can be used in human diets. Results Caffeic acid showed a higher antioxidant activity than propolis extract. Propolis and caffeic acid inhibited NO production in macrophages, at concentrations without cytotoxicity. Furthermore, both propolis and caffeic acid suppressed LPS-induced signaling pathways, namely p38 MAPK, JNK1/2 and NF-κB. ERK1/2 was not affected by propolis extract and caffeic acid. In addition, propolis and caffeic acid did not induce hepatotoxicity at concentrations with strong anti-inflammatory potential. Conclusions Propolis exerted an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action and caffeic acid may be involved in its inhibitory effects on NO production and intracellular signaling cascades, suggesting its use as a natural source of safe anti-inflammatory drugs. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of the activity of pineapple (Ananas comosus) on Haemonchus contortus in Santa Inês sheep

The development of resistance to anthelmintics has prompted research into alternative methods of controlling intestinal nematodes in ruminants. This study aimed to assess the activity of Ananas comosus on Haemonchus contortus in Santa Inês sheep. The aqueous extract of pineapple skin (AEPS), bromelain from pineapple stems (B4882) and residue from pineapple processing was evaluated in in vitro and in vivo tests. The enzymatic activity of substances was analyzed by the azocasein method. The egg hatch test (EHT) and larval development test (LDT) were performed using the Embrapa2010 isolate of H. contortus. In the in vivo test, 36 sheep artificially infected with H. contortus were divided into six groups: G1: 2g/kg BW of the aqueous extract administered for three days; G2: 2g/kg BW of the industrial pineapple residue for 60 days; G3: 180mg/animal of bromelain in a single dose; G4: negative control I; G5: positive control (levamisole phosphate); and G6: negative control II. The eggs per gram (EPG) in the feces were counted till 28 days after treatment. LC50 and LC90 were obtained by the probit procedure, while the in vivo test results were analyzed by GLM. The aqueous extract in the in vitro and in vivo test, the bromelain and industrial residue presented 0.102, 0.157, 1.864 and 0.048 enzyme units/mL, respectively. In the egg hatch test, the LC50 and LC90 were respectively 31 and 81mg/mL for the aqueous extract and 0.50 and 2mg/mL for bromelain. In the larval development test, the LC50 and LC90 were respectively 1.7 and 7.3mg/mL for the aqueous extract and 0.019 and 0.086mg/mL for bromelain. In the in vivo test, the general efficacies of the treatments in relation to the negative control were 22.6%, 42.2%, 3.65% and 89% for the aqueous extract, industrial pineapple residue, bromelain and positive control respectively. The transformed EPG values were 3.19±0.59, 3.32±0.25, 2.85±0.66, 3.44±0.50, 2.28±0.93 and 2.75±0.94 for the aqueous extract, industrial residue, bromelain, negative control I, positive control and negative control II respectively. The results for all the treated groups differed significantly (p<0.05) from the positive control, and although the residue presented efficacy of 42.2%, there was no statistical difference (p>0.05) in relation to the negative control. Therefore, both the aqueous extract and bromelain were effective in vitro, but showed reduced anthelmintic efficacy in vivo. For the pineapple residue, the 42.2% in vivo efficacy in reducing the EPG and the possibility of reducing environmental contamination through reuse of industrial residue indicate it can also be useful for control of this parasite. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.