Content of essential oil of fennel seeds in two different stages of development

This experiment was carried out at Plant Production Sector, Agronomical Science College-Botucatu, S.P., Brazil, in March, 2000. The aim of this assay was to determine the yield of essential oil of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Miller) in different stages of development. Essential oils were prepared by hydrodistillation from the seeds using of Clevenger apparatus. The water utilized for the extraction of essential oil was sufficient to cover 100 g of seeds and the mixture was distilled for three hours. The volume of essential oil in the graduated side -arm of Clevenger apparatus was observed. There were no significative difference statistic was observed (Tukey 5%) in percentage (v/m) of oil content, based on dry weight of green seeds compared with dry weight of mature seeds, when they were harvested in two different stages of development. There was significative difference statistic between data obtained of humidity content of green seeds when these were compared with mature seeds. These results shows that others specifics studies about adaptation of fennel in tropical conditions are necessary, because the obtained data were different of data described on literature.

First measurement of π-e→π-eγ pion virtual compton scattering

Pion virtual compton scattering (VCS) via the reaction π-e→π-eγ was observed in the Fermilab E781 SELEX experiment. SELEX used a 600 GeV/c π- beam incident on target atomic electrons, detecting the incident π- and the final state π-, electron and γ. Theoretical predictions based on chiral perturbation theory are incorporated into a Monte Carlo simulation of the experiment and are compared to the data. The number of reconstructed events (=9) and their distribution with respect to the kinematic variables (for the kinematic region studied) are in reasonable accord with the predictions. The corresponding π- VCS experimental cross section is σ=38.8±13 nb, in agreement with the theoretical expectation of σ=34.7 nb.

First observation of the doubly charmed baryon Ξcc +

The first experimental evidence for one of the six predicted baryon states which contain two valence charmed quarks-the doubly charmed baryons. As such, there were many predictions of the masses and other properties of these states. The properties of doubly charmed baryons provide a new window into the structure of baryonic matter.

Taxonomic importance of the prefemoral process of the first pair of legs in males of the genus Pseudonannolene (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida)

The first pair of legs in males of some groups of diplopods is modified, having a large coxa and oral projecting prefemoral process; in the family Spirostreptidae (Spirostreptida) this structure has relevance on the genus level. This paper discusses the shape, presence, and absence of the prefemoral process in the genus Pseudonannolene (Pseudonannolenidae, Spirostreptida) and suggests that this structure is an important taxonomic character in this genus and can be used for distinguishing some species.

Blue-greenish acrochaetioid algae in freshwater habitats are Chantransia stages of Batrachospermales sensu lato (Rhodophyta)

Fourteen culture isolates of freshwater acrochaetioid algae from distinct regions around the world were analysed, including the reddish species Audouinella hermannii, the dubious blue-greenish species A. pygmaea, and Chantransia stages from distinct taxonomic origins in the Batrachospermales sensu lato (Batrachospermaceae, Lemaneaceae and Thoreaceae). Four isolates (two 'Chantransia' stages and two species of Audouinella, A. hermannii and A. pygmaea) were tested under experimental conditions of temperature (10-25°C), irradiance (65 and 300 μmol photons m-2 s-1) and photoperiod (16:8 h and 8:16 h light/dark cycles). Plant colour is proposed as the only vegetative character that can be unequivocally applied to distinguish Audouinella from 'Chantransia', blue-greenish representing Chantransia stages and reddish applying to true Audouinella species (also forming reproductive structures other than monosporangia, e.g. tetrasporangia). Some isolates of A. pygmaea were proven to be unequivocally 'Chantransia stages owing either to production of juvenile gametophytes or to derivation from carpospores. No association of the morphology of A. pygmaea was found with any particular species, thus it should be regarded as a complex involving many species of the Batrachospermales sensu lato, as is also the case with A. macrospora. We therefore recommend that all blue-greenish acrochaetioid algae in freshwater habitats be considered as Chantransia stages of members of the Batrachospermales, and that the informal descriptors pygmaea and macrospora be used to distinguish the two discernable morphologies. Induction of gametophytes occurred under much wider conditions than previously reported, reinforcing the conclusion that requirements are probably species-specific. Although phenotypic plasticity was in evidence, with temperature, irradiance and photoperiod affecting morphology, no alga showed variation outside the limits based on traditional taxonomic studies. No overall trend was observed for vegetative or reproductive characters in response to temperature, irradiance and photoperiod for all the algae tested, only for specific algae or characters. Effects of temperature and irradiance on morphological characters were more evident, as well as strong interactions between these variables, whereas few differences were generally found in response to photoperiod and irradiance.

Final stages of the Brasiliano Orogenesis in SE Brazil: U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar evidence for overprinting of the Brasília Belt by the Ribeira Belt Tectonics

Around the southern margins of the São Francisco Craton, there is a zone of tectonic interference between the Brasília belt to the west and the younger Ribeira belt to the east. U-Pb monazite and 40Ar/39Ar cooling age determinations carried out in the area reveal the cooling histories of these belts and the timing of tectonic overprint, unraveling the final stages of Brasiliano Orogeny in SE Brazil. The U-Pb monazite data from migmatized paragneisses and late-stage pegmatites in the Socorro-Guaxupé Nappe System of the southern Brasília belt show that migmatization peaked between ca. 613±1 and 607±3 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar biotite and muscovite ages of paragneisses and schists in this area indicate that the northern high-grade core of the Nappe System (Guaxupé Domain) was uplifted and cooled through the 350°C isotherm between 599±1 and 587±1 Ma. In contrast, samples from the southern high-grade core of the Nappe System, the Socorro Domain, south of the Jacutinga shear zone, yields a broader and younger spectrum of 40Ar/39Ar biotite ages between 571±1 and 562±1 Ma, attributed to a later uplift and cooling of the crust. The cooling ages can be assigned to local resetting of the 40Ar/39Ar system during transpressive tectonic overprint due to reactivation as a result of collision of the Ribeira belt. A younger group of 40Ar/39Ar mica ages (537±1 to 521±1Ma) in schists of the Socorro Domain, are associated with transpressional structures of the Ribeira belt. Rock samples from the Jacutinga and Três Corações shear zones, yield 40Ar/39Ar biotite-muscovite ages around 520 Ma. These are typical cooling ages of the Ribeira belt, and are interpreted to mark the western limit of the Ribeira belt transpressional regime within the Brasília belt. The youngest biotite-muscovite cooling ages in schists of the Socorro Domain, between 510±2 and 491±1 Ma, mark the final cooling and exhumation of that part of the Brasília belt.

Use of carambola (Averrhoa carambola L. 'Fwang Tung') fruit at two stages of maturity for fresh-cut products

Carambola fruit ('Fwang Tung') were picked at two stages of maturity: mature-green (50% yellow) and mature (100% yellow). Fruit were washed with water, dipped in NaOCl solution (200 mg.L-1 for 5 minutes), and stored over night at 10°C. Fruit were sliced manually in to pieces of approximately 1 cm thickness. Slices were rinsed with NaOCl solution at 20 mg.L-1, drained for 3 minutes, and packaged in polyethylene tereftalate (PET) trays provided with a fit cover (Neoform® N94). Packages were stored at 6.5°C and 85% RH for 9 days, and samples taken every 3 days for physical, chemical and biochemical analysis, respiration, and internal atmosphere composition. Immediately after cutting, slices at both stages of maturity showed a wounding response with a 5-fold increase in respiration rate. Polygalacturonase (PG) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity did not differ between stages of maturity. Despite the less mature stage being less preferred at the sensory evaluation owing to its greenish peel, the best stage of maturity for carambola fresh-cut production was mature-green, due to a higher resistance to cutting, and presenting a better colour and appearance maintenance for up to 9 days.

On the morphology of the juvenile stages of Ampulex compressa (Fabricius 1781) (Hymenoptera, Ampulicidae)

Ampulex compressa is a cockroach-hunting ampulicid wasp. In this survey we describe its egg, mature larva, along with the 1st and 2nd larval instars and cocoon, with emphasis on the characters considered important to the phylogeny of apoid wasps. It shares the following traits with the Sphecidae: reduced head setae, absence of antennal papilla, three antennal sensilla on antennal orbit, broad and strongly emarginate labrum, and spinneret with prominent raised lips. In common with other Ampulicidae, it has integument of the body granulose and without setae, mandibles with four or five teeth and lacking basal setae, maxillary palp larger than galea and discrete parietal bands. Distinct from the other Ampulicidae, it has a deep median longitudinal groove in the area above the salivary lips, a distinct group of five sensilla on the subgenal area, and lacks spines on the spiracular peritreme. Copyright © 2006 Magnolia Press.

First isolation of microorganisms from the gut diverticulum of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae): New perspectives for an insect-bacteria association

We show for the first time that the ventral diverticulum of the mosquito gut (impermeable sugar storage organ) harbors microorganisms. The gut diverticulum from newly emerged and non-fed Aedes aegypti was dissected under aseptic conditions, homogenized and plated on BHI medium. Microbial isolates were identified by sequencing of 16S rDNA for bacteria and 28S rDNA for yeast. A direct DNA extraction from Ae. aegypti gut diverticulum was also performed. The bacterial isolates were: Bacillus sp., Bacillus subtilis and Serratia sp. The latter was the predominant bacteria found in our isolations. The yeast species identified was Pichia caribbica.

First study of the radiation-amplitude zero in W gamma production and limits on anomalous WW gamma couplings at root s=1.96 TeV

We present results from a study of pp̄→Wγ+X events utilizing data corresponding to 0.7fb-1 of integrated luminosity at s=1.96TeV collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We set limits on anomalous WWγ couplings at the 95% C.L. The one-dimensional 95% C.L. limits are 0.49<κγ<1.51 and -0.12<λγ<0.13. We make the first study of the charge-signed rapidity difference between the lepton and the photon and find it to be indicative of the standard model radiation-amplitude zero in the Wγ system. © 2008 The American Physical Society.

Association between breast-feeding practices and sucking habits: A cross-sectional study of children in their first year of life

In addition to providing nutrition and immunological protection, breast-feeding has positive effects on the development of the infant's oral cavity. The aim of the present study is to assess breast-feeding patterns and to analyze the influence of breast-feeding practices and maternal sociodemographic variables on the prevalence of non-nutritive sucking habits in a sample of Brazilian infants. This cross-sectional study was carried out in Southern Brazil. A random sample of 100 mothers of infants up to 12 months of age was interviewed during the National Vaccination Campaign Day. The prevalence and median duration of breast-feeding were assessed. Breast-feeding practice, the exposure factor, was categorized as exclusive breast-feeding, predominant breast-feeding, complementary breast-feeding, or weaning. Maternal sociodemographic variables included age, race, marital status, educational level, profession, and family income. The outcome investigated was the prevalence of sucking habits (pacifier use and thumb sucking). We used two-sample tests, the chi-square test and Fisher exact test0 for statistical analyses of the data. The study revealed that 75% of infants were being breast-fed. Pacifier use and thumb sucking were common in 55%. Bottle-feeding was prevalent in 74% of infants. Breast-feeding was negatively correlated with pacifier use and thumb sucking (OR = 0.11; 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.4). Bottle-feeding was strongly associated with weaning (p = 0.0003). Among the sociodemographic variables, only marital status showed a statistical association with sucking habits (p = 0.04). These findings suggest that breast-feeding can prevent the occurrence of sucking habits. Although we could not evaluate causality assessment, malocclusion prevention seems to be yet one more reason for promoting breast-feeding practices.

First measurement of the underlying event activity at the LHC with √ = 0.9 TeV

A measurement of the underlying activity in scattering processes with pT scale in the GeV region is performed in proton-proton collisions at √ = 0.9 TeV, using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. Charged particle production is studied with reference to the direction of a leading object, either a charged particle or a set of charged particles forming a jet. Predictions of several QCD-inspired models as implemented in PYTHIA are compared, after full detector simulation, to the data. The models generally predict too little production of charged particles with pseudorapidity {pipe}η{pipe} < 2, pT > 0.5 GeV/c, and azimuthal direction transverse to that of the leading object. © 2010 CERN for benefit of the CMS collaboration.

First report of Oidium baccharidis on Baccharis trimera in Brazil

Powdery mildew disease was observed on Baccharis trimera in Brazil in January, 2009. Based on the morphological characters, the pathogen was identified as an Oidium baccharidis. This is the first report of this fungus causing powdery mildew on Baccharis in Brazil. © Australasian Plant thology ociety 2010.