Breeding, genetic and genomic of citrus for disease resistance

Although the citriculture is one of the most important economic activities in Brazil, it is based on a small number of varieties. This fact has contributed for the vulnerability of the culture regarding the phytosanitary problems. A higher number of varieties/genotypes with potential for commercial growing, either for the industry or fresh market, has been one of the main objectives of citrus breeding programs. The genetic breeding of citrus has improved, in the last decades, due to the possibility of an association between biotechnological tools and classical methods of breeding. The use of molecular markers for early selection of zygotic seedlings from controlled crosses resulted in the possibility of selection of a high number of new combination and, as a consequence, the establishment of a great number of hybrids in field experiments. The faster new tools are incorporated in the program, the faster is possibility to reach new genotypes that can be tested as a new variety. Good traits should be kept or incorporate, whereas bad traits have to be excluded or minimized in the new genotype. Scion and rootstock can not be considered separately, and graft compatibility, fruit quality and productivity are essential traits to be evaluated in the last stages of the program. The mapping of QTLs has favored breeding programs of several perennial species and in citrus it was possible to map several characteristics with qualitative and quantitative inheritance. The existence of linkage maps and QTLs already mapped, the development of EST and BAC library and the sequencing of the Citrus complete genome altogether make very demanding and urgent the exploration of such data to launch a wider genetic study of citrus. The rising of information on genome of several organisms has opened new approaches looking for integration between breeding, genetic and genome. Genome assisted selection (GAS) involves more than gene or complete genome sequencing and is becoming an import support in breeding programs of annual and perennial species. An huge information amount can be derivate from genome analysis. The use and benefit of such informations will depend on the genetic basis of the breeding program.

Application of cutting fluids in machining processes

In the last decade a lot has been discussed about the suitability of using cutting fluid in abundance to cool and lubricate machining processes. The use of cutting fluid generally causes economy of tools and it becomes easier to keep tight tolerances and to maintain workpiece surface properties without damages. In the other hand, it brings also some problems, like fluid residuals and human diseases. Because of them some alternatives has been sought to minimise or even avoid the use of cutting fluid in machining operations. Some of these alternatives are dry cutting and cutting with minimum quantity of fluid (MQF). The main goal of this work is to discuss these tendencies. Therefore, topics like kinds and methods of applications of modern cutting fluids and what are new in this area will unavoidably be considered. MQF and dry cutting techniques, their applications and where it is not possible to apply them will also be focused. To exemplify the topics, this work will describe some of the researches been developed in two important Brazilian Universities: State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU).

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to a Brazilian bovine herpesvirus type 5

Antigens of a bovine herpesvirus type 5 (BHV-5), isolated from a cow with a neurological infection in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, were used to immunize BALB/c mice to produce monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Eleven hybridomas secreting mAbs directed at BHV-5 antigens were obtained after two fusions and screening of 356 hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine-resistant clones. The mAbs reacted at dilutions up to 1:500 (hybridoma culture supernatant) and up to >1:10,000 (ascitic fluid) in an indirect fluorescent antibody assay (IFA) and in immunoperoxidase staining of BHV-5-infected cells. Four mAbs (1D12, 2E2, 2G10 and 4E4) showed virus-neutralizing activity against the parental BHV-5 isolate. Five mAbs (1F3, 2A6, 2F9, 2G10 and HB24L) reacted in Western immunoblotting with a protein of approximately 90 kDa. Three other mAbs (2E2, 3D6 and 4E4) reacted in IFA with antigens of a BHV-1 mutant glycoprotein C- negative strain, demonstrating that they are directed at a viral antigen other than glycoprotein C. The eleven mAbs tested reacted with 20 BHV-5 field isolates and nine mAbs reacted with 10 BHV-1 isolates. Two mAbs (1F3 and 2F9) failed to react with BHV-1 field isolates, although they displayed a weak and nonreproducible reaction with the BHV-1 reference strain Los Angeles. These mAbs may be very useful in distinguishing between BHV-1 and BHV-5 infections since most of the traditional reagents and techniques are unable to do so. One mAb (2F9) was shown to bind to viral antigens by immunohistochemistry of histological sections of the brain of a BHV-5-infected calf. These results demonstrate that the mAbs produced here are suitable for use in a variety of immunological techniques and therefore may be useful for diagnostic and research purposes.

Interaction between affordance and handedness recognition: a chronometric study

The visualization of tools and manipulable objects activates motor-related areas in the cortex, facilitating possible actions toward them. This pattern of activity may underlie the phenomenon of object affordance. Some cortical motor neurons are also covertly activated during the recognition of body parts such as hands. One hypothesis is that different subpopulations of motor neurons in the frontal cortex are activated in each motor program; for example, canonical neurons in the premotor cortex are responsible for the affordance of visual objects, while mirror neurons support motor imagery triggered during handedness recognition. However, the question remains whether these subpopulations work independently. This hypothesis can be tested with a manual reaction time (MRT) task with a priming paradigm to evaluate whether the view of a manipulable object interferes with the motor imagery of the subject's hand. The MRT provides a measure of the course of information processing in the brain and allows indirect evaluation of cognitive processes. Our results suggest that canonical and mirror neurons work together to create a motor plan involving hand movements to facilitate successful object manipulation.