Correlação entre caracteres e análise de trilha em progênies de mamona (Ricinus communis L.) em condições de safrinha no estado de São Paulo.

Foi instalado um ensaio de avaliação de 73 progênies do Programa de Melhoramento de mamona do Instituto Agronômico que foi utilizado para estimar valores da correlação entre 12 caracteres agronômicos, em Campinas (SP), Brasil, em fevereiro, e avaliado na safrinha de 2007, em blocos casualizados com três repetições, incluindo sete testemunhas comerciais. A análise de trilha foi empregada para particionar os valores de correlação em efeitos diretos e indiretos sobre a produção de grãos. Valores de correlação positivos e significativos foram obtidos entre produção de grãos e todas as características de arquitetura da planta, dos racemos primários e secundários e os componentes da produção avaliados. A altura da planta, altura, comprimento e número de frutos do racemo secundário, além da produção dos racemos primários e secundários tiveram efeitos diretos positivos sobre a produção de grãos, podendo ser utilizados na seleção indireta, nas condições de safrinha.

Color stability and surface roughness of artificial teeth brushed with an experimental Ricinus communis toothpaste

Aim: To evaluate, in vitro, the effect of brushing with a Ricinus communis -based experimental toothpaste on color stability and surface roughness of artificial teeth. Methods: Ninety artificial teeth (maxillary central incisors) in different shades, light and dark (NatusDent Triple Pressing, Dentbras) were used. Initial color (Spectrophotometer Easyshade, VITA) and surface roughness (Rugosimeter Surfcorder SE 1700, Kosakalab) readouts were performed. After baseline measurements, samples were assigned to 10 groups (n=9) according to the artificial tooth shade and type of toothpaste used during the mechanical brushing test (Pepsodent, MAVTEC): Sorriso Dentes Brancos – SDB, Colgate Luminous White - CLW (Colgate-Palmolive), Close up White Now - CWN (Unilever), Trihydral - THL (Perland Pharmacos) and Ricinus communis - RCE (Experimental). After 29,200 cycles of brushing, corresponding to 2 years of brushing by a healthy individual, new color and roughness readouts of the specimens were performed. Data (before and after the tests) were statistically analyzed (2-way repeated measures ANOVA, Tukey, p<0.05). Results: RCE toothpaste produced the greatest color stability for dark tooth shade and the second best color stability for light tooth shade. For surface roughness alteration, there was no difference (p>0.05) for any tested toothpaste regardless of tooth shade. Conclusions: The experimental Ricinus communis toothpaste did not cause color and surface roughness alteration in the artificial teeth, and it may be considered a suitable option for denture cleaning.

Activity of Ricinus communis (Euphorbiaceae) and ricinine against the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) and the symbiotic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus

The focus of this study was the identification of compounds from plant extracts for use in crop protection. This paper reports on the toxic activity of fractions of leaf extracts of Ricinus communis L (Euphorbiaceae) and isolated active compounds in the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa Forel and its symbiotic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus (Singer) Moller. The main compounds responsible for activity against the fungus and ant in leaf extracts of R communis were found to be fatty acids for the former and ricinine for the ants. (C) 2004 Society of Chemical Industry.

Avaliação de progênies de mamona (Ricinus communis L.) para produção e rendimento de semente em condições de safrinha no Estado de São Paulo.

Foi instalado um ensaio de avaliação de 73 progênies do Programa de Melhoramento de mamona do Instituto Agronômico para dias para florescimento dos racemos, produção de grãos e rendimento de grãos, em Campinas-SP, em fevereiro, e avaliado na safrinha de 2007, em blocos casualisados com três repetições, incluindo sete testemunhas comerciais. A análise de variância e a distribuição de médias para produção de grãos evidenciaram a larga variabilidade e o potencial dos materiais para o melhoramento. As progênies mais produtivas foram: PB72II com 804,07 g; PB05II com 755,20 g; TS38 com 716,13 g; PB08II com 714,67 g e PB48 com 698,00 g, e não foram melhores que a testemunha mais produtiva, IAC 2028 com 1019,67 g. Os rendimentos no processamento das sementes foram bastante variados e refletiram a ocorrência de déficits hídricos de severidade moderada, com alto número de sementes chochas ou não granadas. Os resultados mostraram o elevado potencial para o melhoramento do conjunto de progênies estudado e a possibilidade de plantio da cultura da mamona em condição de safrinha no Sudeste do Brasil.

Caracterização de progênies de mamona (Ricinus communis L.) para arquitetura de planta em condições de safrinha no Estado de São Paulo.

A arquitetura da mamoneira é bastante variável, constituída por caracteres que apresentam, geralmente, herança independente que se encontram distribuídos pelo germoplasma da espécie. Variações nos padrões de arquitetura das plantas de mamona possibilitam novas distribuições espaciais na implantação da cultura, viabilizando diferentes métodos de cultivo e novas épocas de semeadura para a espécie. Foi instalado um ensaio de avaliação com 73 progênies do Programa de Melhoramento de Mamona do Instituto Agronômico - IAC e sete materiais comerciais como testemunhas intercalares. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualisados com três repetições e as parcelas foram semeadas em fevereiro de 2007, em Campinas, SP. Foram avaliados os caracteres: altura da planta, altura do racemo primário, altura do racemo secundário, diâmetro do caule, número de entrenós e tamanho de entrenós. Os resultados da análise de variância e a distribuição de médias para os caracteres avaliados evidenciaram a larga variabilidade e o potencial dos materiais para o melhoramento, além da possibilidade de cultivo da mamona em condição de safrinha no Sudeste do Brasil.

Avaliação da arquitetura dos racemos e produção de progênies de mamona (Ricinus communis L.) em condições de safrinha no Estado de São Paulo.

Foi instalado um ensaio de avaliação com 73 progênies do Programa de Melhoramento de Mamona do Instituto Agronômico - IAC e sete materiais comerciais como testemunhas intercalares. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualisados com três repetições e as parcelas foram plantadas em fevereiro de 2007, em Campinas, SP. Foram avaliadas as características dos racemos primários e secundários: quanto ao comprimento (CRP e CRS, em centímetros), número de frutos (NFRP e NFRS), produção de grãos (PRP e PRS, em gramas) e rendimento no descascamento (RRP e RRS, em %) de cinco plantas de 73 progênies de mamona desenvolvidas pelo Programa de Melhoramento. Foram conduzidas análises de variâncias sendo as progênies separadas pelo grupo de seleção sendo 42 da seleção PBII, 15 da seleção PB e 16 da seleção TS. Embora as condições ambientais não favoráveis da safrinha tenham contribuído para o elevado coeficiente de variação observado para alguns caracteres, quadrados médios altamente significativos, para caracteres do racemo primário, foram encontrados para diferença entre médias de Genótipos, Genótipos dentro de PBII e entre Seleções, exceto para número de frutos que foi não significativo. Nos caracteres do racemo secundário, foram encontrados testes F altamente significativos (P<0,01) para diferenças entre Genótipos e entre Genótipos dentro do grupo PBII. Diferenças não significativas foram detectadas entre Seleções e entre Genótipos dentro do Grupo PB, exceto para rendimento no descascamento que apresentou P<0,05. São apresentadas as distribuições de médias para os caracteres.

Preparation Of An Agar-silver Nanoparticles (a-agnp) Film For Increasing The Shelf-life Of Fruits.

Preparation of protective coating possessing antimicrobial properties is present day need as they increase the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. In the present study, preparation of agar-silver nanoparticle film for increasing the shelf life of fruits is reported. Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) biosynthesised using an extract of Ocimum sanctum leaves, were mixed with agar-agar to prepare an agar-silver nanoparticles (A-AgNp) film. This film was surface-coated over the fruits, Citrus aurantifolium (Thornless lime) and Pyrus malus (Apple), and evaluated for the determination of antimicrobial activity of A-AgNp films using disc diffusion method, weight loss and shelf life of fruits. This study demonstrates that these A-AgNp films possess antimicrobial activity and also increase the shelf life of fruits.

Production of Cellulolytic Enzymes by Anaerobic Fungi Cultivated in Different Conditions

The present paper studies the influence of different nutrients for the production of two cellulolytic enzymes: endo beta-1.4 glucanase and exo beta-1.4 glucanase by anaerobic fungi taken from cow rumen, that were fed a diet of corn silage and Brachiaria decumbens grass hay. During the enzymatic degradation assays, it was observed that the addition of some essential nutrients in the formulation of the culture medium contributed positively in the cellulolytic enzyme production, with exception of riboflavin. Such results contributed in the establishment of an effective method for the evaluation of enzymatic activities in anaerobic fibrolytic fungi. In this work, nutrients added to enrich the culture medium have successfully proven that they can be used as inoculating agents (inductors) in diets rich in ensilage with law nutritive value.

VARIATION IN STOMATAL NUMBERS OF GLOSSOPTERIS LEAVES FROM THE LOWER PERMIAN OF PARANA BASIN, BRAZIL

The stomatal density and index in compressed leaves of Glossopteris communis from two different roof shales from the Lower Permian in Parana Basin, Brazil (Western Gondwana) have been investigated to test the possible relationship with modeled global changes in atmospheric CO(2) during the Phanerozoic. The obtained parameters show that the genus Glossopteris from the Cool Temperate biome can be used as CO(2) -proxy, despite the impossibility of being compared with living relatives or equivalents. When confronted with already published data for the Tropical Summer Wet biome, the present results confirm the detection of low levels of atmospheric CO(2) during the Early Permian, as predicted by the modeled curve. Nevertheless, the lower stomatal numbers detected at the climax of the coal interval (Faxinal Coalfield, Sakmarian) when compared to the higher ones obtained in leaves from a younger interval (Figueira Coalfield, Artinskian) could be attributed to temporarily high levels of atmospheric CO(2). Therefore, the occurrence of an extensive peat generating event at the southern part of the basin and subsequent greenhouse gases emissions from this environment may have been enough to reverse regionally and temporarily the reduction trend in atmospheric CO(2). Additionally, the Faxinal flora is preserved in a tonstein layer, which is a record of volcanic activity that could also cause a rise in atmospheric CO(2). During the Artinskian, the scarce generation of peat mires, as revealed by the occurrence of thin and discontinuous coal layers, and the lack of volcanism evidence would be insufficient to affect the general low CO(2) trend.

The influence of supra-optimal root-zone temperatures on growth and stomatal conductance in Capsicum annuum L.

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants were grown aeroponically in a Singapore greenhouse under natural diurnally fluctuating ambient shoot temperatures, but at two different root-zone temperatures (RZTs): a constant 20 +/- 2 degrees C RZT and a diurnally fluctuating ambient (A) (25-40 degrees C) RZT, Plants grown at 20-RZT had more leaves, greater leaf area and dry weight than A-RZT plants. Reciprocal transfer experiments were conducted between RZTs to investigate the effect on plant growth, stomatal conductance (g(s)) and water relations. Transfer of plants from A-RZT to 20-RZT increased plant dry weight, leaf area, number of leaves, shoot water potential (Psi(shoot)), and g(s); while transfer of plants from 20-RZT to A-RZT decreased these parameters. Root hydraulic conductivity was measured in the latter transfer and decreased by 80% after 23 d at A-RZT. Transfer of plants from 20-RZT to A-RZT had no effect on xylem ABA concentration or xylem nitrate concentration, but reduced xylem sap pH by 0.2 units. At both RZTs, g(s) measured in the youngest fully expanded leaves increased with plant development. In plants with the same number of leaves, A-RZT plants had a higher g(s) than 20-RZT plants, but only under high atmospheric vapour pressure deficit. The roles of chemical signals and hydraulic factors in controlling g(s) of aeroponically grown Capsicum plants at different RZTs are discussed.

Patterns of variation within self-incompatibility loci

Diverse self-incompatibility (SI) mechanisms permit flowering plants to inhibit fertilization by pollen that express specificities in common with the pistil. Characteristic of at least two model systems is greatly reduced recombination across large genomic tracts surrounding the S-locus, which regulates SI. In three angiosperm families, including the Solanaceae, the gene that controls the expression of gametophytic SI in the pistil encodes a ribonuclease (S-RNase). The gene that controls pollen SI expression is currently unknown, although several candidates have recently been proposed. Although each candidate shows a high level of polymorphism and complete allelic disequilibrium with the S-RNase gene, such properties may merely reflect tight linkage to the S-locus, irrespective of any functional role in SI. We analyzed the magnitude and nature of nucleotide variation, with the objective of distinguishing likely candidates for regulators of SI from other genes embedded in the S-locus region. We studied the S-RNase gene of the Solanaceae and 48A, a candidate for the pollen gene in this system, and we also conducted a parallel analysis of the regulators of sporophytic SI in Brassica, a system in which both the pistil and pollen genes are known. Although the pattern of variation shown by the pollen gene of the Brassica system is consistent with its role as a determinant of pollen specificity, that of 48A departs from expectation. Our analysis further suggests that recombination between 48A and S-RNase may have occurred during the interval spanned by the gene genealogy, another indication that 48A may not regulate SI expression in pollen.

Influence of Osteopontin in Bovine Uterine Tube Fluid on Sperm Binding and Fertilization in RCA-1 Lectin-treated Oocytes

This study was conducted to determine the effect of pre-exposure of oocytes to Ricinus communis (RCA-1) lectin and osteopontin (OPN) in uterine tube fluid (UTF) on in vitro sperm-egg binding and fertilization. In vitro-matured bovine oocytes were incubated (39 degrees C, 5% CO(2) in air) for 2 h in the following treatments: (i) 500 mu l of fertilization medium (FM); (ii) 250 mu l of FM with 0.25 ml of non-luteal ampullary uterine tube fluid (NLAUTF); (iii) 250 mu l of FM with 250 mu l of NLAUTF and 4 mu l of RCA-1 lectin; (iv) 250 mu l of FM with 250 mu l of NLAUTF, a rabbit polyclonal antibody (1:200) against purified bovine milk OPN, and RCA-1 lectin; (v) 500 mu l of FM and RCA-1 lectin. Following incubation, oocytes were washed, placed in FM with 2 mu g heparin, and incubated with 1 x 10(5) frozen-thawed spermatozoa per 10 oocytes. Oocytes used to assess sperm binding were stained with Hoescht 33342, and the number of sperm bound per zona pellucida counted. The remaining oocytes were fixed in acid alcohol, stained with 1% acetate-orcein and observed to determine the presence of pronuclei. More sperm bound to the zona pellucida (mean +/- SEM) when oocytes were incubated in treatment 3 (59.0 +/- 5.5) than in treatments 2 (46.4 +/- 5.6), 4 (18.1 +/- 5.4), 5 (33.4 +/- 5.6) or 1 (32.5 +/- 5.6). More oocytes were fertilized when incubated in treatment 3 (91% +/- 3.0) than in 2 (84% +/- 3.0), 4 (40% +/- 3.0), 5 (77% +/- 3.0) or 1 (76% +/- 3.0). As in previous studies, this study suggests that RCA-1 lectin enhances binding of UTF-derived OPN to bovine oocytes, resulting in increased sperm-egg binding and fertilization in vitro and a possible role in fertilization.

Bacterial leakage evaluation of root canals filled with different endodontic sealers

Objective. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sealing ability of AH Plus, Epiphany, Acroseal, Endofill, and Polifil after active lateral condensation technique, by using a bacterial test, during 64 days. Study design. One hundred bovine incisors were cleaned and shaped; then they were filled with the endodontic sealers and adapted into a microcentrifuge tube. The setup root/microcentrifuge tube was added to glass flasks containing Brain Heart Infusion broth. A culture of Enterococcus faecalis was inserted into the upper chamber of each assembly. Daily leakage was evaluated through the broth turbidity. Results. The results were submitted to statistical analysis (Kaplan-Meier method, Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn tests). Conclusions. AH Plus and Endofill had the worst sealing ability when compared with Polifil, which showed the least leakage. Acroseal and Epiphany showed a tendency toward having an intermediate behavior; however, there was no significant difference among Acroseal, Epiphany, and the other sealers. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2009; 108: e56-e60)

Changes in muscle recruitment patterns during skill acquisition

The control of movement is predicated upon a system of constraints of musculoskeletal and neural origin. The focus of the present study was upon the manner in which such constraints are adapted or superseded during the acquisition of motor skill. Individuals participated in five experimental sessions, ill which they attempted to produce abduction-adduction movements of the index finger in time with an auditory metronome. During each trial, the metronome frequency was increased in eight steps from an individually determined base frequency. Electromyographic (EMC) activity was recorded from first dorsal interosseous (FDI), first volar interosseous (FVI), flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS), and extensor digitorum communis (EDC) muscles. The movements produced on the final day of acquisition more accurately matched the required profile, and exhibited greater spatial and temporal stability, than those generated during initial performance. Tn the early stages of skill acquisition, an alternating pattern of activation in FDI and FVI was maintained, even at the highest frequencies. Tn contrast, as the frequency of movement was increased, activity in FDS and EDC was either tonic or intermittent. As learning proceeded, alterations in recruitment patterns were expressed primarily in the extrinsic muscles (EDC and FDS). These changes took the form of increases in the postural role of these muscles, shifts to phasic patterns of activation, or selective disengagement of these muscles. These findings suggest that there is considerable flexibility in the composition of muscle synergies, which is exploited by individuals during the acquisition of coordination.

Toxicidade de óleo de mamona a Helicoverpa zea e a Trichogramma pretiosum

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos do óleo de mamona sobre a broca-grande do tomateiro, Helicoverpa zea, e sobre o parasitoide de ovos Trichogramma pretiosum. Foi determinada a mortalidade larval da broca, que foi submetida ao óleo de mamona por ingestão e contato às concentrações 0,5, 1,0, 1,5, 2,0, 2,5 e 3,0% (v v-1). A ação do óleo de mamona sobre T. pretiosum foi determinada mediante testes de seletividade e suscetibilidade. As maiores mortalidades de larvas foram observadas no tratamento por contato com as menores concentrações (0,5 e 1,0%), enquanto com as concentrações intermediárias (1,5; 2,0 e 2,5%), não houve diferença entre as vias de aplicação. À maior concentração testada (3,0%), o tratamento por ingestão proporcionou mortalidade superior àquela obtida por contato. O número de ovos parasitados por T. pretiosum, no teste de seletividade, foi afetado negativamente pelo óleo de mamona, contudo, os demais parâmetros avaliados quanto à seletividade e à suscetibilidade não foram afetados. O óleo de mamona reduz a sobrevivência de larvas de H. zea tanto por ingestão quanto por contato. Além disso, não prejudica o desenvolvimento de T. pretiosum, desde que as pulverizações sejam realizadas após as liberações do parasitoide.