Protein requirements for Blue-fronted Amazon (Amazona aestiva) growth

The objective of this study was to evaluate the protein requirements for hand-rearing Blue-fronted Amazon parrots (Amazona aestiva). Forty hatchlings were fed semi-purified diets containing one of four (as-fed basis) protein levels: 13%, 18%, 23% and 28%. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design with the initial weight of the nestling as the blocking factor and 10 parrots per protein level. Regression analysis was used to determine relationships between protein level and biometric measurements. The data indicated that 13% crude protein supported nestling growth with 18% being the minimum tested level required for maximum development. The optimal protein concentration for maximum weight gain was 24.4% (p = 0.08; r(2) = 0.25), tail length 23.7% (p = 0.09; r(2) = 0.19), wing length 23.0% (p = 0.07; r(2) = 0.17), tarsus length 21.3% (p = 0.06; r(2) = 0.10) and tarsus width 21.4% (p = 0.07; r(2) = 0.09). Tarsus measurements were larger in males (p < 0.05), indicating that sex must be considered when studying developing psittacines. These results were obtained using a highly digestible protein and a diet with moderate metabolizable energy levels.

Short communication: Principal components and factor analytic models for test-day milk yield in Brazilian Holstein cattle

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Prediction equations to estimate the demand of energy and crude protein for maintenance, gain and egg production for laying Japanese quails

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Genetic analysis of visual scores and their relationships to mature female weight in Nellore breed

Dados de 79.884 animais da raça Nelore foram utilizados para estimar parâmetros genéticos e avaliar as relações entre os escores de conformação, precocidade e musculatura obtidos à desmama e ao sobreano e o peso das fêmeas à idade adulta. Utilizou-se o método da máxima verossimilhança restrita, em análise multicaracterísticas, com modelo que incluiu os efeitos genéticos aditivos direto e residual, como aleatórios, e os efeitos fixos de grupo de contemporâneos e, como covariáveis, a idade do animal à pesagem e a idade da mãe ao parto (exceto para o peso das fêmeas à idade adulta). Os grupos contemporâneos à desmama foram definidos pelas variáveis: sexo, rebanho, ano e mês de nascimento, grupo de manejo ao nascimento e à desmama. Na definição de grupo contemporâneo ao sobreano também foi incluída a variável grupo de manejo ao sobreano. Para o peso das fêmeas à idade adulta, o grupo de contemporâneos foi composto por rebanho, ano de nascimento, grupo de manejo ao sobreano, ano e estação da pesagem. Os efeitos genético materno e de ambiente permanente materno também foram incluídos no modelo para análise dos escores de conformação, precocidade e musculatura à desmama. As estimativas de herdabilidade direta obtidas foram 0,18 ± 0,02 para o escore de conformação; 0,21 ± 0,01 para o escore de precocidade; 0,22 ± 0,01 para o escore de musculatura à desmama e 0,24 ± 0,01 para o escore de conformação; 0,27 ± 0,01 para o escore de precocidade; e 0,26 ± 0,01 para o escore de musculatura ao sobreano e 0,42 ± 0,02 para o peso das fêmeas à idade adulta. As correlações genéticas estimadas entre os escores visuais medidos à desmama e ao sobreano foram positivas, variando de média a alta magnitude (0,56 ± 0,03 a 0,85 ± 0,01). Por outro lado, as correlações genéticas estimadas entre os escores visuais e o peso das fêmeas à idade adulta foram positivas e moderadas, variando de 0,21 ± 0,03 a 0,35 ± 0,03. Os resultados obtidos indicam que a seleção de animais com maiores escores visuais, principalmente ao sobreano, deve promover aumento do peso das fêmeas à idade adulta.

Physiochemical analysis and centesimal composition of Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom grown in residues from the Amazon

O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a composição nutricional dos cogumelos produzidos em substratos alternativos à base de resíduos agrícolas e agroindustriais da Amazônia. Determinou-se C, N, pH, umidade, sólidos solúveis, proteína, lipídios, fibra total, cinzas, carboidratos e energia. Os substratos foram formulados a partir de serragem de Simarouba amara Aubl. (marupá), Ochroma piramidale Cav. ex. Lam. (pau de balsa) e do estipe de Bactris gasipaes Kunth (pupunheira) e de Saccharum officinarum (cana-de-açúcar). Os resultados demonstraram que: a composição nutricional do P. ostreatus variou com o substrato de cultivo e; O P. ostreatus pode ser considerado um importante alimento devido suas características nutricionais: altos teores de proteínas, carboidratos metabolizáveis e fibras; baixos teores de lipídios e de calorias.

Caracterização e hidrólise in vitro da globulina principal de grão-de-bico (Cicer arietinum L.), var. IAC-Marrocos

No presente estudo procedeu-se ao isolamento e caracterização da fração globulina majoritária (11 S) de grão-de-bico, var. IAC-Marrocos. A globulina majoritária extraída foi isolada por cromatografia de filtração em gel e de troca-iônica mostrando apenas uma banda de proteína na eletroforese em gel de poliacrilamida. A globulina majoritária, após passagem em coluna de Sephadex, revelou duas bandas protéicas de 55 e 52,5kDa e três bandas menores em gel de poliacrilamida dodecilsulfato de sódio. Na presença de 2-mercaptoetanol 6 polipeptídios na faixa de 18 a 42kDa foram revelados na eletroforese. A globulina isolada foi submetida à ação da tripsina e quimotripsina onde a forma nativa mostrou-se resistente à ação enzimática enquanto o aquecimento (96 e 121°C/15min) não foi suficiente para aumentar a susceptibilidade à hidrólise, significativamente. Adição de NaCl 0,3M levou a um aumento da estabilidade estrutural com menor susceptibilidade à digestão proteolítica, fato em parte perdido com o aquecimento. As hidrólises foram acompanhadas por eletroforese em gel de poliacrilamida dodecilsulfato de sódio.

Dexamethasone-induced insulin resistance is associated with increased connexin 36 mRNA and protein expression in pancreatic rat islets

Augmented glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) is an adaptive mechanism exhibited by pancreatic islets from insulin-resistant animal models. Gap junction proteins have been proposed to contribute to islet function. As such, we investigated the expression of connexin 36 (Cx36), connexin 43 (Cx43), and the glucose transporter Glut2 at mRNA and protein levels in pancreatic islets of dexamethasone (DEX)-induced insulin-resistant rats. Study rats received daily injections of DEX (1 mg/kg body mass, i.p.) for 5 days, whereas control rats (CTL) received saline solution. DEX rats exhibited peripheral insulin resistance, as indicated by the significant postabsorptive insulin levels and by the constant rate for glucose disappearance (K-ITT). GSIS was significantly higher in DEX islets (1.8-fold in 16.7 mmol/L glucose vs. CTL, p < 0.05). A significant increase of 2.25-fold in islet area was observed in DEX vs. CTL islets (p < 0.05). Cx36 mRNA expression was significantly augmented, Cx43 diminished, and Glut2 mRNA was unaltered in islets of DEX vs. CTL (p < 0.05). Cx36 protein expression was 1.6-fold higher than that of CTL islets (p < 0.05). Glut2 protein expression was unaltered and Cx43 was not detected at the protein level. We conclude that DEX-induced insulin resistance is accompanied by increased GSIS and this may be associated with increase of Cx36 protein expression.

Reduced pancreatic β-cell mass is associated with decreased FoxO1 and Erk1/2 protein phosphorylation in low-protein malnourished rats

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

Unitarity of spin-2 theories with linearized Weyl symmetry in D=2+1 dimensions

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Exigências em treonina para frangos de corte de 22 a 42 dias de idade

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

Targeted Nucleotide Exchange in Bovine Myostatin Gene

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Recursive hierarchic segmentation analysis of bone mineral density changes on digital panoramic images

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The gastroprotective effect of the essential oil of Croton cajucara is different in normal rats than in malnourished rats

It has been shown previously that malnourished rats are resistant to acute gastric lesions but not to subchronic gastric ulceration. It also has been demonstrated that the essential oil obtained from the bark of Croton cajucara (Sacaca) has antiulcer properties. In the present study, the ability of this essential oil to prevent the formation of gastric ulcers in rats fed a diet with 17 % protein (normoproteic rats) or 6 % protein (malnourished rats) was investigated. At a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight, orally, the essential oil significantly reduced the gastric injury caused by indomethacin (25 % after 2 h and 70 % after 4 h) only in normoproteic rats. In the pylorus ligature model, the essential oil increased the pH and gastric volume, but decreased the total acid concentration in both groups when compared to the respective control group. The essential oil significantly increased prostaglandin E2 production in glandular cells by 50 % compared to the controls in both groups of rats. In addition, the amount of gastric mucus was two-fold higher in malnourished rats than in normoproteic rats. The present results show that the enhanced protective effect of essential oil in malnourished rats involved an increase in prostaglandin E2 production and mucus secretion, which are both factors that protect the gastric mucosa against damage. In agreement with this, malnourished rats always had a lower number of acute gastric ulcers.

Using genetic algorithm to design protein sequence

In this work, genetic algorithms concepts along with a rotamer library for proteins side chains are used to optimize the tertiary structure of the hydrophobic core of Cytochrome b(562) starting from the known PDB structure of its backbone which is kept fixed while the side chains of the hydrophobic core are allowed to adopt the conformations present in the rotamer library. The atoms of the side chains forming the core interact via van der Waals energy. Besides the prediction of the native core structure, it is also suggested a set of different amino acid sequences for this core. Comparison between these new cores and the native are made in terms of their volumes, van der Waals energies values and the numbers of contacts made by the side chains forming the cores. This paper proves that genetic algorithms area efficient to design new sequence for the protein core. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Time series analysis for minority game simulations of financial markets

The minority game (MG) model introduced recently provides promising insights into the understanding of the evolution of prices, indices and rates in the financial markets. In this paper we perform a time series analysis of the model employing tools from statistics, dynamical systems theory and stochastic processes. Using benchmark systems and a financial index for comparison, several conclusions are obtained about the generating mechanism for this kind of evolution. The motion is deterministic, driven by occasional random external perturbation. When the interval between two successive perturbations is sufficiently large, one can find low dimensional chaos in this regime. However, the full motion of the MG model is found to be similar to that of the first differences of the SP500 index: stochastic, nonlinear and (unit root) stationary. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.