Development of Dichelops melacanthus and its egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi reared on Bt-soybean MON 87701 x MON 89788 and its near conventional isoline under different temperatures.

Dichelops melacanthus was studied under controlled conditions (60 ± 10% RH and 14/10 h L/D photoperiod), and three constant temperatures (19, 25, and 31 ± 2 °C). Fresh pods of MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybeans and its near non-Bt isoline (A5547) were supplied to nymphs and adults. The biology of T. podisi was studied in the same controlled RH conditions, but only at the standard temperature of 25 ± 2°C. Overall, the development of D. melacanthus was better at higher temperatures, which accelerated the development of the stink bug without affecting adult biological parameters. No influence of Bt-soybeans on the biology of the pest was observed in any temperature studied, which shows that D. melacanthus is not affected by this transgenic soybean. The egg parasitoid T. podisi also was not harmed when it parasitized eggs of the pest fed with MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybeans, with similar results to those obtained in non-Bt isogenic soybeans. Thus, this study demonstrates that D. melacanthus is favored at high temperatures (31 ± 2 °C), and that neither did MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean pods affect the development of the pest nor its parasitoid T. podisi.

Selective hydrogenation by novel composite supported Pd egg-shell catalysts

Two organic–inorganic mixed phase supports were prepared, comprising an alumina filler and polymers of different chemical nature. Four low loaded Pd catalysts were prepared. Good activities and selectivities were obtained during the hydrogenations of styrene, 1-heptyne and 2,3-butanedione. The catalysts were found to have excellent mechanical properties and could be used in applications needing high attrition resistance and crushing strength. In this sense, processes for fine chemicals using slurry reactors or processes for commodities using long packed beds could advantageously use them.

Plant Evolution: What Does It Take To Be an Egg?

The genetic regulation of cell patterning within plant gametophytes remains poorly understood. Now, two new studies in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha shed light on the conserved function of an RKD transcription factor as a key regulator of egg cell fate in the land plant lineage.

Handle with care: historical geographies and difficult cultural legacies of egg-collecting

This thesis offers an examination of egg-collecting, which was a very popular pastime in Britain from the Victorian era well into the twentieth century. Collectors, both young and old, would often spend whole days and sometimes longer trips in a wide variety of different habitats, from sea shores to moorlands, wetlands to craggy mountainsides, searching for birds’ nests and the bounty to be found within them. Once collectors had found and taken eggs, they emptied out the contents; hence, they were really eggshell collectors. Some egg collectors claimed that egg-collecting was not just a hobby but a science, going by the name of oology, and seeking to establish oology as a recognised sub-discipline of ornithology, these collectors or oologists established formal institutions such as associations and societies, attended meetings where they exhibited unusual finds, and also contributed to specialist publications dedicated to oology. Egg-collecting was therefore many things at once: a culture of the British countryside, from where many eggs were taken; a culture of natural history, taking on the trappings of a science; and a culture of enthusiasm, providing a consuming passion for many collectors. By the early twentieth century, however, opposing voices were increasingly being raised, by conservation groups and other observers, about the impact that egg-collecting was having on bird populations and on the welfare of individual birds. By mid-century the tide had turned against the collectors, and egg-collecting in Britain was largely outlawed in 1954, with further restrictions imposed in 1981. While many egg collections have been lost or destroyed, some have been donated to museums, including Glasgow Museums (GM), which holds in its collections over 30,000 eggs. As a Collaborative Doctoral Award involving the University of Glasgow and GM, the project outlined in this thesis aims to bring to light and to life these egg collections, the activities of the collectors who originally built them, and the wider world of British egg-collecting. By researching archival material held by Glasgow Museums, published specialist egg-collecting journals and other published sources, as well as the eggs as a material archive, this thesis seeks to recover some of the practices and preoccupations of egg collectors. It also recounts the practical activities carried out during the course of the project at GM, particularly those involving a collection of eggs newly donated to the museum during the course of this project, culminating in a new temporary display of birds’ eggs at Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.

Non-hierarchical cluster analysis for body weight, age at first egg, egg production and egg weight in a laying hen strain.

2016

The influence of volatile semiochemicals from stink bug eggs and ovipositiondamaged plants on the foraging behaviour of the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi.

2016

Association Between Cationic Liposomes And Low Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid.

This work presents a study of the association between low molecular weight hyaluronic acid (16 kDa HA) and cationic liposomes composed of egg phosphatidylcholine (EPC), 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE), and 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP). The cationic liposome/HA complexes were evaluated to determine their mesoscopic structure, average size, zeta potential, and morphology as a function of the amount of HA in the system. Small angle X-ray scattering results revealed that neighboring cationic liposomes either stick together after a partial coating of low concentration HA or disperse completely in excess of HA, but they never assemble as multilamellar vesicles. Cryo-transmission electron microscopy images confirm the existence of unilamellar vesicles and large aggregates of unilamellar vesicles for HA fractions up to 80% (w/w). High concentrations of HA (> 20% w/w) proved to be efficient for coating extruded liposomes, leading to particle complexes with sizes in the nanoscale range and a negative zeta potential.

Competição larval em Chrysomya megacephala (F.) (Diptera: Calliphoridae): efeitos de diferentes níveis de agregação larval sobre estimativas de peso, fecundidade e investimento reprodutivo

In insects that utilize patchy and ephemeral resources for feeding and egg laying, the outcome of larval competition for food resources depends on the amount of resources and the spatial distribution of immatures among patches of food. In the present study, the results of larval competition for food in Chrysomya megacephala, in traits such as female weight, fecundity and reproductive investment, were different in situations where the level of larval aggregation (proportion of competitors per amount of food) was the same, but with densities of competitors and amounts of food proportionally different. These results are indicative that the larval competition may depend both on the larval density and the amount of food, in different situations with the same proportion of larvae per gram of food.

Metodologia analítica para determinação de folatos e ácido fólico em alimentos

The aim of this work was to develop and to validate a methodology using HPLC for the simultaneous determination of folates and folic acid in foods. The limits of detection and the recovery rates for the vitamins in the certified reference materials were respectively 5 pg/mL and 94-108% for 5-MTHF, 7 pg/mL and 97-102% for THF, 30 pg/mL and 97.9-104% for 5-FTHF, 30 pg/mL and 95-107 for 10-FFA, 5 ng/mL and 97-102% for FA and 5 ng/mL and 98-103% for 10-MFA. Repeatability showed a coefficient of variation below 3.9% for all the vitamins. The proposed methodology was shown to be efficient when applied to different certified reference materials, namely pig's liver (BCR487), powdered milk (BCR421) and a vegetable mixture (BCR485).

Unidade Haugh como medida da qualidade de ovos de galinha armazenados sob refrigeração

Alterations in physical, chemical and functional characteristics of egg proteins occur during storage. These changes depend on the storage conditions, mainly duration, temperature and relative humidity. This study examined the fresh egg Haugh unit score and the storage egg Haugh unit score, at room temperature (25°C) and under refrigeration conditions (8°C), during 7, 14 and 21 days of storage. Haugh units and albumin height decreased considerably during storage at room temperature. At 8°C, there was no significant difference in the Haugh unit for different periods of storage, but their values were smaller as compared to fresh eggs. The weight of the eggs was not affected by both storage and temperature. For both temperatures, pH was positively correlated with Haugh units and negatively with the albumin height.

Perfil sensorial de ovos de Páscoa

Easter egg is a popular chocolate-candy in egg form commercialized in Brazil during Easter time. In this research, Quantitative Descriptive Analysis was applied to select sensory attributes which best define the modifications in appearance, aroma, flavor and texture when cocoa butter equivalent (CBE) is added to Easter eggs. Samples with and without CBE were evaluated by a selected panel and fourteen attributes best describing similarities and differences between them, were defined. Terms definition, reference materials and a consensus ballot were developed. After a training period, panelists evaluated the samples in a Complete Block Design using a 9 cm unstructured scale. Principal Component Analysis, ANOVA and Tukey test (p<0.05) were applied to the data in order to select attributes which best discriminated and characterized the samples. Samples showed significant differences (p<0.05) in all attributes. Easter egg without CBE showed higher intensities (p<0.05) in relation to the following descriptors: brown color, characteristic aroma, cocoa mass aroma, cocoa butter aroma, characteristic flavor, cocoa mass flavor, hardness and brittleness.

Repetibilidade da mensuração de imagens das características de carcaça obtidas por ultrassonografia em fêmeas Nelore

Avaliou-se a repetibilidade da mensuração de imagens de ultrassom da área do músculo longissimus dorsi (AOL) e das espessuras de gordura subcutânea do lombo (EGL) e da garupa (EGG). Imagens de ultrassom tomadas no lombo (entre a 12ª e a 13ª costela) e na garupa (entre os músculos gluteus medium e biceps femoris) de novilhas Nelore de 14 a 22 meses de idade foram classificadas em aceitáveis, marginais e rejeitáveis. As imagens aceitáveis e marginais foram mensuradas duas vezes por três técnicos em diferentes níveis de treinamento. Foram estimadas as repetibilidades entre e dentro de técnicos por classe de qualidade da imagem, para determinação do efeito da qualidade da imagem e do técnico no valor absoluto da diferença entre a primeira e a segunda mensuração dessas características. A repetibilidade para as imagens aceitáveis foi maior que para imagens marginais, tanto entre como dentro de técnicos. Na análise da diferença absoluta entre a primeira e a segunda interpretação, foram significativos os efeitos de técnico para AOL e EGL e de classe de qualidade da imagem para AOL. Em geral, o técnico com maior experiência apresentou maiores valores de repetibilidade. É recomendável que a mensuração de imagens de animais de mesmo grupo contemporâneo seja feita por um único técnico.

Uso de fosfatos com diferentes relações flúor: fósforo na alimentação de poedeiras semipesadas na fase de produção

Um experimento foi conduzido para verificar os efeitos de diferentes relações flúor:fósforo (F:P) na dieta sobre o desempenho e as concentrações de cálcio, fósforo, magnésio e flúor na tíbia de poedeiras comerciais semipesadas. Foram utilizadas 160 galinhas poedeiras, distribuídas em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com quatro tratamentos (fontes de fósforo com diferentes relações flúor:fósforo - 1:40; 1:60; 1:80; 1:100) e cinco repetições de oito aves. No final do experimento, foram abatidas duas aves de cada repetição para coleta da tíbia e análise dos teores de flúor, cálcio, fósforo e magnésio. As relações flúor:fósforo não afetaram o consumo de ração, a produção de ovos, a conversão alimentar, o peso dos ovos e a gravidade específica. Entretanto, a porcentagem de casca e a espessura da casca foram menores quando a relação F:P foi de 1:100. Apesar da ausência de efeitos na produção de ovos, verificou-se redução de 7,3; 5,4 e 9,8% na produção entre as aves que receberam ração com a maior relação F:P (1:100) em comparação àquelas alimentadas com as rações com as relações de 1:40; 1:60 e 1:80, respectivamente. A deposição óssea de flúor reduziu e a de magnésio aumentou nas aves alimentadas com a ração contendo as maiores relação de F:P. As fontes de fósforo, nas relações fluor:fósforo de 1:40 a 1:80, podem ser utilizadas em dietas para poedeiras comerciais, pois não afetam o desempenho e a qualidade da casca dos ovos.

Vitaminas D e C para poedeiras na fase inicial de produção de ovos

Um experimento foi conduzido com o objetivo de avaliar os efeitos de duas fontes de vitamina D e três níveis de vitamina C sobre as características de desempenho, a qualidade interna e externa dos ovos, os níveis de cálcio total e iônico séricos e a resistência óssea de poedeiras. Foram utilizadas 288 galinhas da linhagem ISA Babcock B300® com 23 semanas de idade, durante um período experimental de 12 semanas. Utilizou-se o delineamento inteiramente ao acaso em arranjo fatorial 2 × 3, com os fatores: fontes de vitamina D (colecalciferol e 25-hidroxicolecalciferol - 25(OH)D3) e de vitamina C (0, 100 e 200 ppm), totalizando seis tratamentos com oito repetições de seis aves. O nível basal de colecalciferol foi de 2.756 UI/kg, correspondendo a 5,51 g do produto comercial Hy.D®/t de ração, como fonte de 25(OH)D3. Os fatores estudados não influenciaram o consumo de ração, a produção, o peso e a massa de ovos. Observou-se efeito da interação de fontes de vitamina sobre a conversão alimentar, que foi melhor quando utilizado metabólito 25(OH)D3 na ausência de vitamina C. Interações foram observadas para porcentagem de albúmen e porcentagem de gema, que aumentaram na presença de 200 ppm de vitamina C. O peso específico dos ovos, as concentrações de cálcio sérico, cinzas ósseas e a resistência à quebra não foram influenciadas pelas fontes de vitamina D e C. Houve interação para porcentagem e espessura de casca, cujos maiores valores foram obtidos com a suplementação de vitamina C na presença de 25(OH)D3. Em poedeiras na fase inicial de produção, a conversão alimentar é melhor com a utilização do 25(OH)D3 e a espessura e porcentagem de casca também melhoram com a utilização de 25(OH)D3 e a suplementação de vitamina C nas dietas (100 ou 200 ppm, respectivamente).

Desempenho e qualidade dos ovos de poedeiras comerciais alimentadas com rações contendo diferentes níveis de metionina e lisina

Foram avaliados os efeitos dos níveis de metionina e lisina sobre o desempenho e a qualidade interna e externa dos ovos de poedeiras comerciais. Foram utilizadas 256 poedeiras Hisex White com 68 semanas de idade, alojadas individualmente em delineamento inteiramente casualizado em arranjo fatorial 4 õ 4, com quatro níveis de lisina (0,482; 0,682; 0,882 e 1,082%) e metionina (0,225; 0,318; 0,411 e 0,505%), totalizando 16 dietas, cada uma com quatro repetições de quatro aves. O desempenho foi avaliado por meio das características consumos de ração, lisina, metionina, proteína bruta e de energia, peso, produção e massa de ovos e conversão alimentar. A qualidade interna dos ovos foi avaliada por meio das características peso e porcentagem de albúmen e gema e pela unidade Haugh. As aves apresentaram máxima produção de ovos quando alimentadas com rações contendo 0,444% de metionina total e 0,872% de lisina total. A classificação dos ovos por tipo e as características de qualidade interna e externa dos ovos não foram influenciadas pelos níveis de metionia e lisina da dieta.