Application of 1-Allyl-3-(1-butyl)imidazolium Chloride in the Synthesis of Cellulose Esters: Properties of the Ionic Liquid, and Comparison with Other Solvents

The ionic liquid (IL), 1-allyl-3-(1-butyl)imidazolium chloride (AlBuImCl), has been synthesized and its properties determined. Increase in the temperature increased its conductivity and decreased its density, polarity, and viscosity. Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), dissolves in thisIL by heating at 80 degrees C; this did not affect its degree of polymerization, decreased its index of crystallinity (Ic), and changed in morphology after regeneration. Convenient acylation of MCC was achieved by using 50% excess anhydride at 80 degrees C, for 24 or 48 h for acetic and butyric anhydride, respectively. The composition of the mixed esters depended on the initial ratio of the anhydrides, and their order of addition.

Synthesis and application of chiral beta-amino disulfides as ligands for the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes

A new class of chiral beta-amino disulfides was synthesized from readily available and inexpensive starting materials by a straightforward method and their abilities as ligands were examined in the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes. Enantiomeric excesses of up to 99% have been obtained using 0.5 mol % of the chiral catalysts.

Application of chemometric methods in the evaluation of chemical and spectroscopic data on organic matter from Oxisols in sewage sludge applications

Chemometric methods can contribute to soil research by permitting the extraction of more information from the data. The aim of this work was to use Principal Component Analysis to evaluate data obtained through chemical and spectroscopic methods on the changes in the humification process of soil organic matter from two tropical soils after sewage sludge application. In this case, humic acids extracted from Typic Eutrorthox and Typic Haplorthox soils with and without sewage sludge application for 7 consecutive years were studied. The results obtained for all of the samples and methods showed two clusters: samples extracted from the two soil types. These expected results indicated the textural difference between the two soils was more significant than the differences between treatments (control and sewage sludge application) or between depths. In this case, an individual chemometric treatment was made for each type of soil. It was noted that the characterization of the humic acids extracted from soils with and without sewage sludge application after 7 consecutive years using several methods supplies important results about changes in the humification degree of soil organic matter, These important result obtained by Principal Component Analysis justify further research using these methods to characterize the changes in the humic acids extracted from sewage sludge-amended soils. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Novel Application of 2D and 3D-Similarity Searches To Identify Substrates among Cytochrome P450 2C9, 2D6, and 3A4

Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) is a class of enzymes where the substrate identification is particularly important to know. It would help medicinal chemists to design drugs with lower side effects due to drug-drug interactions and to extensive genetic polymorphism. Herein, we discuss the application of the 2D and 3D-similarity searches in identifying reference Structures with higher capacity to retrieve Substrates of three important CYP enzymes (CYP2C9, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4). On the basis of the complementarities of multiple reference structures selected by different similarity search methods, we proposed the fusion of their individual Tanimoto scores into a consensus Tanimoto score (T(consensus)). Using this new score, true positive rates of 63% (CYP2C9) and 81% (CYP2D6) were achieved with false positive rates of 4% for the CYP2C9-CYP2D6 data Set. Extended similarity searches were carried out oil a validation data set, and the results showed that by using the T(consensus) score, not only the area of a ROC graph increased, but also more substrates were recovered at the beginning of a ranked list.

Diversity of decapod crustaceans at the interface of unconsolidated seabed areas and rocky shores in tropical/subtropical Brazil

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

Ecological distribution of the shrimp Nematopalaemon schmitti (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea) in three bays on the south-eastern coast of Brazil

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

Application of fuzzy logic for the evaluation of livestock slaughtering

A lógica fuzzy admite infinitos valores lógicos intermediários entre o falso e o verdadeiro. Com esse princípio, foi elaborado neste trabalho um sistema baseado em regras fuzzy, que indicam o índice de massa corporal de animais ruminantes com objetivo de obter o melhor momento para o abate. O sistema fuzzy desenvolvido teve como entradas as variáveis massa e altura, e a saída um novo índice de massa corporal, denominado Índice de Massa Corporal Fuzzy (IMC Fuzzy), que poderá servir como um sistema de detecção do momento de abate de bovinos, comparando-os entre si através das variáveis linguísticas )Muito BaixaM, ,BaixaB, ,MédiaM, ,AltaA e Muito AltaM. Para a demonstração e aplicação da utilização deste sistema fuzzy, foi feita uma análise de 147 vacas da raça Nelore, determinando os valores do IMC Fuzzy para cada animal e indicando a situação de massa corpórea de todo o rebanho. A validação realizada do sistema foi baseado em uma análise estatística, utilizando o coeficiente de correlação de Pearson 0,923, representando alta correlação positiva e indicando que o método proposto está adequado. Desta forma, o presente método possibilita a avaliação do rebanho, comparando cada animal do rebanho com seus pares do grupo, fornecendo desta forma um método quantitativo de tomada de decisão para o pecuarista. Também é possível concluir que o presente trabalho estabeleceu um método computacional baseado na lógica fuzzy capaz de imitar parte do raciocínio humano e interpretar o índice de massa corporal de qualquer tipo de espécie bovina e em qualquer região do País.

Role of phospholipase A(2) and tyrosine kinase in Clostridium difficile toxin A-induced disruption of epithelial integrity, histologic inflammatory damage and intestinal secretion

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Biological activity of astilbin from Dimorphandra mollis against Anticarsia gemmatalis and Spodoptera frugiperda

Astilbin was isolated in high yield from Dimorphandra mollis, and its insecticidal and growth inhibiting activity by stomach ingestion were evaluated against Anticarsia gemmatalis and Spodoptera frugiperda. The insecticidal activity of astilbin, the weight reduction of the larval phase and the prolongation of the larval and pupal phases were verified for both species. Astilbin was identified on the base of its NMR, MS and physical data. (C) 2002 Society of Chemical Industry.

Determination of the highest no-effect dose (HNED) and of the elimination pattern for cocaine in horses

Cocaine is one of the most widespread illegal stimulants utilized by the human population throughout the world. The aim of this study was to establish the highest no-effect dose (HNED) of cocaine on the spontaneous locomotor activity (SLA) of horses in a behavior chamber, and thereby to determine the maximal acceptable threshold of the urinary drug concentration in horses. Twelve English thoroughbred mares received 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.08 or 0.12 mg kg(-1) cocaine i.v. or saline solution (control). It was noted that doses above 0.04 mg kg(-1) induced a significant increase in SLA (P < 0.05, Tukey's test). No significant increase in SLA was seen in the mares that received 0.03 mg kg(-1), but the animals showed important behavioral changes that did not occur after the 0.02 mg kg(-1) dose. It was concluded that the HNED of cocaine for horses in a behavior chamber is 0.02 mg kg(-1). After injection of this dose in five horses, urine samples were collected at predetermined intervals through vesical catheterization. The concentrations of cocaine, norcocaine, benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester were quantified by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Cocaine and norcocaine concentrations remained consistently below the level of detection. Benzoylecgonine reached a mean (+/- SEM) maximum concentration of 531.9 +/- 168.7 ng ml(-1) after 4 h, whereas ecgonine methyl ester peaked 2 h after injection at a concentration of 97.2 +/- 26.5 ng ml(-1). The maximum admissible concentration for cocaine and/or metabolites in the urine of horses is difficult to establish unequivocally because of the substantial individual variation in the drug elimination pattern observed in horses, which can be inferred by the large standard error of the means obtained. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

Development and silk production by silkworm larvae after topical application of methoprene

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

Study of caffeine urine and saliva of horses subjected to urinary acidification

The study of caffeine in racing horses has been of growing concern in veterinary sports medicine since the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) stated that it has no valid therapeutic use in racehorses. We examined the kinetic alterations in the urinary excretion and salivary secretion of caffeine in seven horses subjected to urinary acidification using ascorbic acid because this procedure can simulate the acidosis that follows anaerobic exercise. They participated in two treatment groups: the control group (SG) received 500 ml of saline and then 2.0 mg kg(-1) caffeine i.v. 30 min later; and the acidified group (AG) was subjected to urinary acidification with ascorbic acid at a dose of 0.5 g kg(-1) i.v. and then 2.0. mg kg(-1) caffeine i.v. 30 min later. Samples were collected 30 min before caffeine administration, immediately before caffeine administration (time zero) and at 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h afterwards. The samples were assayed by gas chromatography. The mean urinary pH for SG was 8.2, but for AG it was as low as 5.9 at 4 h, extending acidosis for up to 8 h. The kinetic curves for the two groups were similar for urinary excretion and salivary secretion. Differences occurred only in peak excretion and peak secretion in SG obtained at 1 h and 30 min, respectively, and in AG at 2 h and 1 h, respectively. This could be explained, in part, to the diuresis in AG compared with SG, resulting in less concentrated urine in the former group. The large difference between the pK(a) of caffeine and the pH of the medium may be responsible for the similar pharmacokinetics observed for the two groups. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

Effects of caffeine on locomotor activity of horses: Determination of the no-effect threshold

Caffeine is the legal stimulant consumed most extensively by the human world population and may be found eventually in the urine and/or blood of race horses, the fact that caffeine is in foods led us to determine the highest no-effect dose (HNED) of caffeine on the spontaneous locomotor activity of horses and then to quantify this substance in urine until it disappeared. We built two behavioural stalls equipped with juxtaposed photoelectric sensors that emit infrared beams that divide the stall into nine sectors in a 'tic-tac-toe' fashion. Each time a beam was interrupted by a leg of the horse, a pulse was generated; the pulses were counted at 5-min intervals and stored by a microcomputer. Environmental effects were minimized by installing exhaust fans producing white noise that obscured outside sounds. One-way observation windows prevented the animals from seeing outside. The sensors were turned on 45 min before drug administration (saline control or caffeine), the animals were observed for up to 8 h after i.v. administration of 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 or 5.0 mg caffeine kg(-1). The HNED of caffeine for stimulation of the spontaneous locomotor activity of horses was 2.0 mg kg(-1). The quantification of caffeine in urine and plasma samples was done by gradient HPLC with UV detection. The no-effect threshold should not be greater than 2.0 mug caffeine ml(-1) plasma or 5.0 mug caffeine ml(-1) urine. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Development and application of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae-expressed nucleocapsid protein-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of antibodies against infectious bronchitis virus

A Saccharomyces cerevisiae-expressed nucleocapsid (N) polypeptide of the M41 strain of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) was used as antigen in a recombinant yeast-expressed N protein-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Y-N-ELISA). The Y-N-ELISA was rapid, sensitive, and specific for detecting chicken serum antibodies to IBV, and it compared favorably with a commercial ELISA.