Structural and cytochemical changes in the salivary glands of the Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (CANESTRINI, 1887) (Acari : Ixodidae) tick female during feeding

This study describes the morphology of salivary glands of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus female ticks at beginning of feeding (24-48 h of attachment) and semi-engorged (4-5 days of attachment) to verify the degenerative characteristics of these organs and the secretory phase in which the process begins. At the beginning of feeding, secretion granules had been observed only in the cytoplasm of cells b, c(1), c(2), c(4) (type II acinus) and d (type III acinus), as well as large nuclei with regular and preserved morphology. In the semi-engorged females the acini presented few normal cells, few partially preserved ones, and the remaining ones in several stages of degeneration, that is, with retraction and cytoplasmic vacuolization, and nuclei with chromatin in several stages of condensation, picnotic and/or in fragmentation. In type I acinus and in the excretory ducts of the studied glands, at both feeding stages, no degenerative characteristic was observed. In females of R. (B.) microplus, the salivary glands degenerate asynchronically and precociously when compared with those of others tick's species. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ecology of the parasitic endohelminth community of Piaractus mesopotamicus (Holmberg, 1887) (Characiformes) from Aquidauana and Miranda Rivers, Pantanal, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The megalopa and early juvenile stages of Calappa tortugae Rathbun, 1933 (Crustacea, Brachyura) reared in the laboratory from South Carolina neuston samples

Neuston samples collected from the Charleston Bump region off the coast of South Carolina, U.S.A., during the summers of 2002 and 2003 consistently included a decapod species of undetermined identity with a large brachyuran megalopa. Despite their resemblance to some calappids, it was impossible to make a definitive identification based solely on general morphology. Therefore, additional neuston tows were taken on the continental shelf near Charleston, during the summer of 2004 to obtain these living megalopae. These were raised successfully through five juvenile stages at the Southeastern Regional Taxonomic Center (SERTC) laboratory. The morphology of the juveniles provided evidence that they are megalopae of Calappa tortugae Rathbun, 1933. Comparisons with megalopae of Hepatus epheliticus (Linnaeus, 1763), H. pudibundus (Herbst, 1785), Calappa flammea (Herbst, 1794) and Cryptosoma balguerii (Desbonne, 1867) are presented here. This is the first complete description of the megalopa morphology of a member of the genus Calappa Weber, 1795 from the Western Atlantic, and it is helpful for taxonomic, systematic and ecological purposes.

Growth and survival of pacu Piaractus mesopotamicus (Holmberg, 1887) juveniles reared in ponds or at different initial larviculture periods indoors

Five-day-old pacu larvae (Piaractus mesopotamicus) with average length and weight of 5.96 mm and 0.42 mg, respectively, were reared as follows: in a semi-intensive system with larvae stocked directly into fertilized ponds (IL0)-and an initial intensive larviculture system with larvae maintained in a laboratory for 3 (IL3), 6 (IL6) and 9 (IL9) days, before being transferred to fertilized ponds. During the indoor phase, larvae were fed Artemia nauplii. Intensive-culture survivals were high (95.6%, 86.4% and 83.8% for IL3, IL6 and IL9, respectively) and at the end of the 45-day period, the longer the larvae were kept in the intensive system, the better the juvenile survival in the ponds. IL9 and IL6 survival rates were 54.0% and 45.4%, respectively, significantly higher (P < 0.05) than IL0 (11%) and IL3 presented an intermediate rate (25.3%). Due to the low survival rate of IL0, length and weight were higher (P < 0.05) when compared to IL6 and IL9; and the differences between their survival rates affected size distribution of juveniles among treatments. Treatments, which resulted in high survival (IL6 and IL9), presented a great number of small fish. In contrast, IL0 and IL3 produced many large and extra large individuals. In general, the results indicate that pacu juvenile production by initial intensive larviculture (IL6 and IL9) was the most efficient method. Therefore, further studies should be conducted in order to improve larval growth in the laboratory and handling techniques in both the laboratory and ponds. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

A magia das vanguardas em Walter Benjamin: arte, política ou revolução

Pós-graduação em Filosofia - FFC

Tra[D]ição e o jogo da diferença em Marajó, de Dalcídio Jurandir

Este trabalho, que escolheu como tema a presença da tradição no romance Marajó de Dalcídio Jurandir, procura investigar como a escritura do romance citado dialoga intertextualmente com a tradição literária, mitológica e oral, sem anular o caráter social da ficção dalcidiana. Defendo a hipótese de que o jogo intertextual presente na obra não está a favor de uma exaltação das fontes ou como mera transposição de influências, mas se projeta como diferença. A base teórica do trabalho se fundamentou, sobretudo, a partir das discussões sobre “fonte” e “influência” estabelecidas pela literatura comparada nas figuras de autores como Tania Franco Carvalhal e Silviano Santiago e de algumas considerações de escritores importantes da literatura moderna como T. S. Eliot e Jorge Luis Borges, reconhecidos como os iniciadores das discussões acerca do legado da tradição, retomada pela literatura modernista. A escolha da literatura comparada possibilitou a presente leitura, uma abertura teórica em que entram em cena, na abordagem, a Psicanálise freudiana, a escritura-jogo de Roland Barthes, Júlia Kristeva e Jacques Derrida, além de outros pressupostos analíticos de pesquisadores da ficção de Dalcídio Jurandir como os professores Vicente Salles, Marli Tereza Furtado, Paulo Nunes, Audemaro Taranto Goulart e Pedro Maligo e estudiosos da tradição como Anthony Giddens, Homi Bhabha, Stuart Hall e Walter Benjamin.

A educação popular na América Latina: um estudo comparado do pensamento social de Simón Rodríguez (Venezuela, 1771-1854) e Antônio Carneiro Leão (Brasil, 1887-1966)

Esta pesquisa aborda como temática a Educação Popular em Simón Rodríguez (1771-1854) e Antônio Carneiro Leão (1887-1966), intelectuais da América Latina. A questão norteadora deste processo investigativo é: no contexto de estruturação dos Estados-nação latinoamericanos, como os intelectuais Simón Rodríguez e Antônio Carneiro Leão pensavam a Educação popular? Como hipóteses, entendemos que: 1) Estes intelectuais tecem fios tênues que auxiliaram na significação do conceito de Educação Popular na atualidade, seja por meio da negação seja pela defesa de princípios que atualmente permeiam a conceituação da Educação Popular, ainda que o sentido atribuído à Educação Popular por eles à época não correspondam exatamente à significação presente; 2) Simón Rodríguez e Antônio Carneiro Leão, mesmo de lugares diferentes, um na Venezuela, outro no Brasil, expressaram em suas obras pensamentos com certas semelhanças no que tange à ideia de Educação Popular na América Latina. Com base na questão e hipóteses apresentadas adotou-se como objetivo geral: analisar, por meio do estudo comparado do pensamento social e da teoria descolonial, as formulações de Educação Popular em Simón Rodríguez e Antônio Carneiro Leão, com vistas a sua relação com o contexto latino-americano. Como objetivos específicos, definiu-se: a) contextualizar o conjunto de obras de Simón Rodríguez e Antônio Carneiro Leão, enfatizando os escritos sobre educação, particularmente os enunciados que tratam da id��ia de Educação Popular; b) situar o pensamento dos autores no contexto histórico mais geral de seus países; c) analisar as concepções teóricas de Simón Rodríguez (exemplo de pensamento venezuelano) e compará-las com as concepções teóricas de Antônio Carneiro Leão (um exemplo de pensamento brasileiro), de modo a verificar quais os pontos convergentes e divergentes sobre a ideia de Educação Popular; d) Compreender as implicações da proposta de Educação Popular de Simón Rodríguez e Antônio Carneiro Leão para o movimento educacional latino-americano. No plano teórico-metodológico, a pesquisa se fundamenta na História Cultural (representações sociais e lutas de representações), na História Intelectual (memória coletiva e utilizagens mentais) e na Teoria Descolonial (exterioridade). Os resultados revelam que Simón Rodríguez e Carneiro Leão ao apontarem no século XIX e início do século XX a necessidade de valorização cultural das classes populares se aproximam significativamente das concepções de educação popular na atualidade. Também indicam uma similitude entre a realidade colonial hispanoamericana e a realidade luso-brasileira que aproximam essas concepções. Resguardadas as nuances históricas dos países em que nasceram e viveram os autores estudados, constatou-se que estes compreendem a educação como um instrumental imprescind��vel para a superação da colonização e, portanto, de consolidação da independ��ncia política, econômica e cultura do continente. Ao incursionar pela obra dos autores, sob um olhar regido pela Teoria Descolonial, identificamos que o Liberalismo, o Positivismo e as Teorias Raciais produzidos no Ocidente europeu fundamentaram o pensamento intelectual de Simón Rodríguez e Carneiro Leão, mas assumiram outras dimensões ao serem pensadas em meio às experiências vividas pelos autores no continente americano. Sensíveis ao sofrimento de uma população mestiça que não mais poderia viver fora dos parâmetros da modernidade, esses autores, que destacam a educação como um instrumental necessário à libertação política, econômica e cultural da América Latina, defendem, na teoria e na prática, um projeto educacional que fosse capaz de salvaguardar venezuelanos e brasileiros das marcas deixadas pela colonização.

Serum bactericidal activity as indicator of innate immunity in pacu Piaractus mesopotamicus (Holmberg, 1887)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Degradation, residual determination, and cholinesterase activity of triclorfon in Piaractus mesopotamicus Holmberg (Pacu) 1887

The aim of this study was to determine the no-observable-adverse-effect concentration (NOAEC) for trichlorfon, an antiparasitic agent used in aquaculture, in Piractus mesopotamicus (pacu) using acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity as an end point. Fish were exposed 24 h/d for 15 d to different concentrations of trichlorfon in tanks of water for which a curve of dissipation was previously determined. Analysis of trichlorfon in water and fish plasma using gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD) enabled measurement of limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ), respectively, to be 3 and 10 ppb. Thirty-six hours after trichlorfon dilution in water, the concentration was below the LOD, and data showed that plasma concentrations did not exceed the LOQ. Apart from the 6.25 g/L, all concentrations of trichlorfon significantly inhibited plasma and brain AChE activity compared to controls. The AChE activity levels returned to control values in 7 d. These data may be useful to determine the concentration of trichlorfon that destroys parasites without producing adverse effects in fish.

Praziquantel, levamisol e diflubenzuron no controle de Dolops carvalhoi (Crustacea: Branchiura) e Anacanthorus penilabiatus (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) em Piaractus mesopotamicus Holmberg, 1887 (Osteichthyes: Characidae)

Neste trabalho, avaliou-se a eficácia antiparasitária do praziquantel, levamisol e diflubenzuron administrados via oral, adicionados à ração, para pacus (Piaractus mesopotamicus) infectados por Anacanthorus penilabiatus e Dolops carvalhoi. Foram utilizadas 19 caixas d'água de 300 L de capacidade, comportando 28 peixes cada. Os tratamentos foram feitos misturando os princípios ativos nas dietas. A intensidade parasitária e eficácia foram avaliadas 1 dia antes e 3, 7 e 15 dias após o início da alimentação com ração contendo diflubenzuron, levamisol e praziquantel isolados ou associados em diferentes concentrações por 7 dias. Os resultados da eficácia terapêutica sugerem que, isoladamente ou associado com levamisol e praziquantel, o diflubenzuron é eficiente contra o crustáceo D. carvalhoi, demonstrando que a eficácia dos tratamentos nos dias 3, 7 e 15 variou de 96,2 a 100%. Contra os monogenóides, as drogas não apresentaram eficácia satisfatória. Os resultados sugerem o uso do diflubenzuron para o controle de D. cavalhoi em peixes de cativeiro e em condições de quarentenário.

Analisi e traduzione di "The family law" di Benjamin Law

The aim of this dissertation is to propose a translation from English into Italian of The Family Law, an autobiographical novel written by Benjamin Law, an Australian author of Cantonese origins. The present dissertation is divided into four chapters. The first chapter presents the author of the book, by providing his biography; in addition, the chapter contains an overview of the Australia immigration problem, which is an important issue in the book due to the fact that the author’s parents had moved from Hong Kong to Caloundra, Australia. The second chapter presents the book The Family Law, by focusing on its main themes and by paying special attention to the description of the characters; furthermore, it analyses the plot of the chapters which I decided to translate, and provides a selection of Italian publishers which might be interested in publishing the book. The third chapter consists of my translation of the chapters I selected. The final chapter analyses the strategies I adopted while translating and examines some of the problematic issues that I encountered during the translation process, in particular at the level of morphosyntax, lexicon, cultural references, and style.

The evolutionary importance of cell ratio between notochordal and nucleus pulposus cells: an experimental 3-D co-culture study

Notochordal cells and nucleus pulposus cells are co-existing in the intervertebral disc at various ratios among different mammalians. This fact rises the question about the interactions and the evolutionary relevance of this phenomenon. It has been described that these relatively large notochordal cells are mainly dominant in early lifetime of all vertebrates and then differences occur with ageing. Human, cattle, sheep, and goat lose the cells with age, whereas rodents and lagomorphs maintain these throughout their lifetime.

Deficiency in SLC25A1, encoding the mitochondrial citrate carrier, causes combined D-2- and L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria

The Krebs cycle is of fundamental importance for the generation of the energetic and molecular needs of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Both enantiomers of metabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate are directly linked to this pivotal biochemical pathway and are found elevated not only in several cancers, but also in different variants of the neurometabolic disease 2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria. Recently we showed that cancer-associated IDH2 germline mutations cause one variant of 2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria. Complementary to these findings, we now report recessive mutations in SLC25A1, the mitochondrial citrate carrier, in 12 out of 12 individuals with combined D-2- and L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria. Impaired mitochondrial citrate efflux, demonstrated by stable isotope labeling experiments and the absence of SLC25A1 in fibroblasts harboring certain mutations, suggest that SLC25A1 deficiency is pathogenic. Our results identify defects in SLC25A1 as a cause of combined D-2- and L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria.

Serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and immunoglobulins in an older Swiss cohort: results of the Senior Labor Study.

BACKGROUND Vitamin D and the components of humoral immunity play important roles in human health. Older people have lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) serum levels than younger adults. We aimed to determine the levels of 25(OH)D serum concentrations in healthy senior citizens and to study their relationship to the levels of components of humoral immunity. METHODS A total of 1,470 healthy Swiss men and women, 60 years or older, were recruited for this study. A total of 179 subjects dropped out of the study because of elevated serum concentrations of C-reactive protein. Fasting blood sera were analyzed for 25(OH)D with the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and for parathyroid hormone (PTH), immunoglobulins and complement C4 and C3 concentrations with immunoassays. The percentage of participants in each of the four 25(OH)D deficiency groups--severely deficient (<10 ng/ml), deficient (10 to 20), insufficient (21 to 29 ng/ml) and normal (>=30 ng/ml)--were statistically compared. The relationship of the major components of the humoral system and age with 25(OH)D levels was also assessed. RESULTS About 66% of the subjects had insufficient levels of 25(OH)D. Normal levels of 25(OH)D were found in 26.1% of the subjects of which 21% were males and 30.5% were females (total study population). Severely deficient levels of 25(OH)D were found in 7.98% of the total study population. Low levels of 25(OH)D were positively associated with IgG2 (P = 0.01) and with C4 (P = 0.02), yet were inversely related to levels of IgG1 and IgA (P < 0.05) and C3 (P = 0.01). Serum levels of total IgA, IgG, IgG2 and IgG4 peaked together with 25(OH)D during late summer. CONCLUSIONS Approximately two-thirds of the healthy, older Swiss population presented with Vitamin D insufficiency. The incremental shift in IgA and C3 levels might not necessarily reflect a deranged humoral immune defense; however, given the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, the importance of this condition in humoral immunity will be worth looking at more closely. This study supports the role of vitamin D in the competent immune system.

Moses und Christus : oder üb. d. innern Werth u. d. wahrscheinl. Folgen d. Sendschreibens einiger Hausväter jüdischer Religion an Herrn Probst Teller u. dessen darauf ertheilte Antwort

[Benjamin Gottlob Gerlach]