Observação da diapausa em adultos do bicudo do algodoeiro (Anthonomus grandis Boh., 1843) (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) no Estado de São Paulo.

Como a diapausa manifestada nos bicudos e um importante mecanismo de sua sobrevivencia nos Estados Unidos durante a entressafra, e fundamental que se conhecam detalhes de sua ocorrencia no Brasil, a fim de se introduzirem tecnicas eficientes de manejo dessa especie. Com o presente trabalho objetivou-se verificar a incidencia da diapausa em lavouras de algodao de alguns municipios do Estado de Sao Paulo. Na safra 1983/84 o estudo desenvolveu-se em 10 municipios e em 1984/85, em 7 municipios. O numero de adultos coletados, bem como o numero de coletas realizadas em cada tempo, foram variaveis. Em praticamente todas as coletas ocorreram adultos em diapausa, excetuando-se as de 18/04/84 e 15/02/85 para Porto Feliz e a de 10/05/1985 para Tiete. As maiores porcentagens de bicudos em diapausa foram observadas nos meses de marco a abril, fase final do ciclo das plantas. Na safra 1984/85 altas porcentagens ocorreram tambem em maio, mas na safra 1983/84 nao foram conduzidas coletas nessa epoca. Os maiores indices de diapausa foram observados em Monte Mor, no periodo de 19-23/03/84, com cerca de 54% e em Campinas, no periodo de 12-18/03/85, com cerca de 56%.

Produção de mudas de alface dentro de um sistema de aquaponia.

2016

BRSMG Uai: common bean cultivar with carioca grain type and upright plant architecture.

The common bean cultivar with carioca grain type, BRSMG Uai, is recommended for cultivation in Minas Gerais and stands out for its upright plant architecture, which facilitates cultivation and mechanical harvesting. This cultivar has high yield potential and is resistant to the major races of anthracnose that occur in region.

Avaliação de níveis protéicos para a nutrição de juvenis de matrinxã (Brycon cephalus).

A divergência existente nas informações sobre os níveis de proteína bruta em rações para matrinxã, evidencia a necessidade de pesquisas que visem gerar conhecimentos sobre as necessidades protéicas de juvenis da espécie, objetivo de estudo desse trabalho.

BRS Ártico: common bean cultivar with export-standard white grain.

BRS Ártico is a common bean cultivar with white grains with international standard size (62 g per 100 seeds), appropriate for cultivation in the Central region of Brazil and the state of Paraná. The cycle is semi-early, the yield potential 2677 kg ha-1 and BRS Ártico has moderate resistance to rust and curtobacterium wilt.

Resposta produtiva do meloeiro sob diferentes l��minas de água e doses de nitrogênio.

Embora o Estado do Piauí possua boas condições edafoclimáticas para o cultivo do meloeiro, ainda são poucas as informações técnicas e científicas da correta quantidade de água e de adubação nitrogenada para a cultura do mel��o que, por sua vez, representem melhor retorno econômico. Diante disto, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar a resposta produtiva do meloeiro a aplicação de diferentes l��minas de água e de adubação nitrogenada nas condições edafoclimáticas de Teresina, Piauí.

Combining phospholipases and a liquid lipase for one-step biodiesel production using crude oils

Background Enzymatic biodiesel is becoming an increasingly popular topic in bioenergy literature because of its potential to overcome the problems posed by chemical processes. However, the high cost of the enzymatic process still remains the main drawback for its industrial application, mostly because of the high price of refined oils. Unfortunately, low cost substrates, such as crude soybean oil, often release a product that hardly accomplishes the final required biodiesel specifications and need an additional pretreatment for gums removal. In order to reduce costs and to make the enzymatic process more efficient, we developed an innovative system for enzymatic biodiesel production involving a combination of a lipase and two phospholipases. This allows performing the enzymatic degumming and transesterification in a single step, using crude soybean oil as feedstock, and converting part of the phospholipids into biodiesel. Since the two processes have never been studied together, an accurate analysis of the different reaction components and conditions was carried out. Results Crude soybean oil, used as low cost feedstock, is characterized by a high content of phospholipids (900 ppm of phosphorus). However, after the combined activity of different phospholipases and liquid lipase Callera Trans L, a complete transformation into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs >95%) and a good reduction of phosphorus (P <5 ppm) was achieved. The combination of enzymes allowed avoidance of the acid treatment required for gums removal, the consequent caustic neutralization, and the high temperature commonly used in degumming systems, making the overall process more eco-friendly and with higher yield. Once the conditions were established, the process was also tested with different vegetable oils with variable phosphorus contents. Conclusions Use of liquid lipase Callera Trans L in biodiesel production can provide numerous and sustainable benefits. Besides reducing the costs derived from enzyme immobilization, the lipase can be used in combination with other enzymes such as phospholipases for gums removal, thus allowing the use of much cheaper, non-refined oils. The possibility to perform degumming and transesterification in a single tank involves a great efficiency increase in the new era of enzymatic biodiesel production at industrial scale.

Validation of dot blot hybridization and denaturing high performance liquid chromatography as reliable methods for TP53 codon 72 genotyping in molecular epidemiologic studies

Background: Mutations in TP53 are common events during carcinogenesis. In addition to gene mutations, several reports have focused on TP53 polymorphisms as risk factors for malignant disease. Many studies have highlighted that the status of the TP53 codon 72 polymorphism could influence cancer susceptibility. However, the results have been inconsistent and various methodological features can contribute to departures from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, a condition that may influence the disease risk estimates. The most widely accepted method of detecting genotyping error is to confirm genotypes by sequencing and/or via a separate method. Results: We developed two new genotyping methods for TP53 codon 72 polymorphism detection: Denaturing High Performance Liquid Chromatography (DHPLC) and Dot Blot hybridization. These methods were compared with Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) using two different restriction enzymes. We observed high agreement among all methodologies assayed. Dot-blot hybridization and DHPLC results were more highly concordant with each other than when either of these methods was compared with RFLP. Conclusions: Although variations may occur, our results indicate that DHPLC and Dot Blot hybridization can be used as reliable screening methods for TP53 codon 72 polymorphism detection, especially in molecular epidemiologic studies, where high throughput methodologies are required.

Liquid crystal necklaces: cholesteric drops threaded by thin cellulose fibres

Liquid crystals in confined geometries exhibit numerous complex structures often including topological defects that are controlled by the nematic elasticity, chirality and surface anchoring. In this work, we study the structures of cholesteric droplets pierced by cellulose fibres with planar anchoring at droplet and fibre surfaces. By varying the temperature we demonstrate the role of twisting power and droplet diameter on the equilibrium structures. The observed structures are complemented by detailed numerical simulations of possible director fields decorated by defects. Three distinct structures, a bipolar and two ring configurations, are identified experimentally and numerically. Designing cholesteric liquid crystal microdroplets on thin long threads opens new routes to produce fibre waveguides decorated with complex microresonators.

Sensitive determination of D-lactic acid and L-lactic acid in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

D-lactic acid in urine originates mainly from bacterial production in the intestinal tract. Increased D-lactate excretion as observed in patients affected by short bowel syndrome or necrotizing enterocolitis reflects D-lactic overproduction. Therefore, there is a need for a reliable and sensitive method able to detect D-lactic acid even at subclinical elevation levels. A new and highly sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of L- and D-lactic acid by a two-step procedure has been developed. This method is based on the concentration of lactic acid enantiomers from urine by supported liquid extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The separation was achieved by the use of an Astec Chirobiotic? R chiral column under isocratic conditions. The calibration curves were linear over the ranges of 2-400 and 0.5-100 µmol/L respectively for L- and D-lactic acid. The limit of detection of D-lactic acid was 0.125 µmol/L and its limit of quantification was 0.5 µmol/L. The overall accuracy and precision were well within 10% of the nominal values. The developed method is suitable for production of reference values in children and could be applied for accurate routine analysis.

Simultaneous determination of gross alpha, gross beta and Ra-226 in natural water by liquid scintillation counting.

The determination of gross alpha, gross beta and 226Ra activity in natural waters is useful in a wide range of environmental studies. Furthermore, gross alpha and gross beta parameters are included in international legislation on the quality of drinking water [Council Directive 98/83/EC].1 In this work, a low-background liquid scintillation counter (Wallac, Quantulus 1220) was used to simultaneously determine gross alpha, gross beta and 226Ra activity in natural water samples. Sample preparation involved evaporation to remove 222Rn and its short-lived decay daughters. The evaporation process concentrated the sample ten-fold. Afterwards, a sample aliquot of 8 mL was mixed with 12 mL of Ultima Gold AB scintillation cocktail in low-diffusion vials. In this study, a theoretical mathematical model based on secular equilibrium conditions between 226Ra and its short-lived decay daughters is presented. The proposed model makes it possible to determine 226Ra activity from two measurements. These measurements also allow determining gross alpha and gross beta simultaneously. To validate the proposed model, spiked samples with different activity levels for each parameter were analysed. Additionally, to evaluate the model's applicability in natural water, eight natural water samples from different parts of Spain were analysed. The eight natural water samples were also characterised by alpha spectrometry for the naturally occurring isotopes of uranium (234U, 235U and 238U), radium (224Ra and 226Ra), 210Po and 232Th. The results for gross alpha and 226Ra activity were compared with alpha spectrometry characterization, and an acceptable concordance was obtained.

Simultaneous determination of gross alpha, gross beta and Ra-226 in natural water by liquid scintillation counting.

The determination of gross alpha, gross beta and 226Ra activity in natural waters is useful in a wide range of environmental studies. Furthermore, gross alpha and gross beta parameters are included in international legislation on the quality of drinking water [Council Directive 98/83/EC].1 In this work, a low-background liquid scintillation counter (Wallac, Quantulus 1220) was used to simultaneously determine gross alpha, gross beta and 226Ra activity in natural water samples. Sample preparation involved evaporation to remove 222Rn and its short-lived decay daughters. The evaporation process concentrated the sample ten-fold. Afterwards, a sample aliquot of 8 mL was mixed with 12 mL of Ultima Gold AB scintillation cocktail in low-diffusion vials. In this study, a theoretical mathematical model based on secular equilibrium conditions between 226Ra and its short-lived decay daughters is presented. The proposed model makes it possible to determine 226Ra activity from two measurements. These measurements also allow determining gross alpha and gross beta simultaneously. To validate the proposed model, spiked samples with different activity levels for each parameter were analysed. Additionally, to evaluate the model's applicability in natural water, eight natural water samples from different parts of Spain were analysed. The eight natural water samples were also characterised by alpha spectrometry for the naturally occurring isotopes of uranium (234U, 235U and 238U), radium (224Ra and 226Ra), 210Po and 232Th. The results for gross alpha and 226Ra activity were compared with alpha spectrometry characterization, and an acceptable concordance was obtained.

Liquid-phase Friedel-Crafts acylation using NixMn(l-x)Fe2O4 spinel catalysts

The liquid-phase Friedel-Crafts acylation of toluene using benzoyl chloride as benzoylating agent has heen carried out over Nix, Mn(l-x)Fe2 O4 (x=O, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0) type systems under different reaction conditions. It is observed that the systems with high 'x' values are effective for the conversion of BOC and the selective formation of 4-MBP. Selectivity for 4-MBP over MnFe2O4 is more than 90% under the optimized reaction conditions. Sites of moderate acidity is effective in calalyzing the benzoylation reaction.

Vacuum-induced bubble formation in liquid-tempered chocolate

Bubble inclusion is one of the fastest growing operations practiced in the food industry. A variety of aerated foods is currently available in supermarkets, and newer products are emerging all the time. This paper aims to combine knowledge on chocolate aeration with studies performed on bubble formation and dispersion characteristics. More specifically, we have investigated bubble formation induced by applying vacuum. Experimental methods to determine gas hold-up (volume fraction of air), bubble section distributions along specific planes, and chocolate rheological properties are presented. This study concludes that decreasing pressures elevate gas hold-up values due to an increase in the number of bubble nuclei being formed and release of a greater volume of dissolved gases. Furthermore, bubbles are observed to be larger at lower pressures for a set amount of gas because the internal pressure needs to be in equilibrium with the surrounding pressures. Temperature-induced changes to the properties of the chocolate have less of an effect on bubble formation. On the other hand, when different fats and emulsifiers are added to a standard chocolate recipe, milk fat was found to increase, significantly, the gas hold-up values and the mean bubble-section diameters. It is hypothesized that this behavior is related to the way milk fats, which contain different fatty acids to cocoa butter, crystallize and influence the setting properties of the final product. It is highlighted that apparent viscosity values at low shear rate, as well as setting behavior, play an important role in terms of bubble formation and entrainment.