The distribution of agglutinins and lytic activity against Trypanosoma rangeli and erythrocytes in Rhodnius prolixus and Triatoma infestans tissue extracts and haemolymph

Haemolymph, heads, salivary glands, crops, midguts, hindguts, and Malpighian tubules from Rhodnius prolixus and Triatoma infestans were extracted in phosphate or Tris buffer saline with calcium, and tested for agglutination and lytic activities by microtitration against both vertebrateerythrocytes and cultured epimatigote forms of Trypanosoma rangeli. Haemagglutination activity against rabbit erythrocytes was found in the crop, midgut and hindgut extracts of T. infestans but only in the haemolymph of R. prolixus. Higher titres of parasite agglutinins were found in R. prolixus haemolymph than T. infestans, whilst the converse occurred for the tissue extracts. In addition, the extracts of T. infestans salivary glands, but not those of R. prolixus, showed a trypanolytic activity that was heat-inactivated and was not abolished by pre-incubation with any of the sugars or glycoproteins tested. T. infestans, which is refractory to infection by T. rangeli, thus appears to contain a much wider distribution of agglutinating and trypanolytic factors in its tissues than the more susceptible species, R. prolixus

Illegal trade of the guitarfish Rhinobatos horkelii on the coasts of central and southern Brazil: genetic identification to aid conservation

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

Effect of biotic and abiotic factors on the tunneling behavior of Coptotermes gestroi and Heterotermes tenuis (Isoptera : Rhinotermitidae)

Using bidimensional arenas, the construction and spatial dispersion of tunnels constructed by Coptotermes gestroi and Heterotermes tenuis (Rhinotermitidae) was determined under different laboratory conditions. Workers of both species showed an increase of the tunneled area with the rise in temperature. The activity of workers of C gestroi also increased with the rise in soil moisture. Primary tunnels showed a high degree of dispersion in the arenas for all treatments. The presence of food did not influence the tunneling pattern of C. gestroi; but for H. tenuis there was a significant decrease in the number of tunnels. In addition, the type of substrate affected the tunneling pattern in both species. The understanding of food searching strategies of subterranean termites could contribute in the improvement of pest management programs based on the use of toxic baits. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chromosomal mapping of rDNAs and H3 histone sequences in the grasshopper rhammatocerus brasiliensis (acrididae, gomphocerinae): extensive chromosomal dispersion and co-localization of 5S rDNA/H3 histone clusters in the A complement and B chromosome

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The use of vinasse as an amendment to ex-situ bioremediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with diesel oil

Este trabalho investigou a possibilidade de se usar a vinhaça como um agente estimulador de processos de biorremediação ex-situ. Amostras de água subterrânea e solo foram coletadas em três postos de combustíveis. A biorremediação do solo foi simulada em frascos de Bartha, usados para medir a produção de CO2, durante 48 dias, onde a vinhaça foi adicionada a uma concentração de 33 mL.Kg-1 de solo. A eficiência de biodegradação também foi medida pela quantificação de hidrocarbonetos totais de petróleo (TPH) por cromatografia gasosa. A biorremediação da água subterrânea foi realizada em experimentos laboratoriais simulando condições aeradas (bioreatores) e não aeradas (frascos de DBO). em ambos os casos, a concentração de vinhaça foi de 5 % (v/v) e diferentes parâmetros físico-químicos foram avaliados durante 20 dias. Embora um aumento da fertilização e da população microbiana do solo foram obtidos com a vinhaça, esta estratégia não se mostrou adequada em aumentar a eficiência da biorremediação dos solos contaminados com óleo diesel. A adição de vinhaça às águas subterrâneas contaminadas teve efeitos negativos na biodegradação dos hidrocarbonetos, uma vez que a vinhaça, como uma fonte de carbono facilmente assimilável, foi preferencialmente consumida.

Aerobic biodegradation of butanol and gasoline blends

This work aimed to assess the aerobic biodegradation of butanol/gasoline, blends (5; 10; 15 and 20% v/v), being the latter compared to the ethanol/gasoline blend (20% v/v). Two experimental techniques were employed, namely the respirometric method and the redox indicator DCPIP test. in the former, experiments simulating the contamination of natural environments (addition of 50 mL of fuel kg(-1) of soil from a non-contaminated site and 20 mL of fuel L(-1) of water from a river) were carried out in biometer flasks (250 mL), used to measure the microbial CO(2) production. The DCPIP test assessed the capability of four inocula to biodegrade the blends of 20%. The addition of butanol at different concentrations enhanced the biodegradation of gasoline in soil. However, no practical gains were observed for concentrations of butanol above 10%. Ethanol showed to have a much faster biodegradation rate than butanol, particularly in water, and the following order of biodegradability was found: ethanol > butanol > gasoline. The addition of the alcohols to the gasoline resulted in positive synergic effects on the biodegradation of the fuels in soil and water matrices. Furthermore, results suggest that, in soil, butanol better enhanced the biodegradation of gasoline than ethanol. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Floristic relationships among inland swamp forests of Southeastern and Central-Western Brazil

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

Short-Term Antiandrogen Flutamide Treatment Causes Structural Alterations in Somatic Cells Associated with Premature Detachment of Spermatids in the Testis of Pubertal and Adult Guinea Pigs

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

Dynamics of the deconfinement transition of quarks and gluons in a finite volume

We employ finite elements methods for the approximation of solutions of the Ginzburg-Landau equations describing the deconfinement transition in quantum chromodynamics. These methods seem appropriate for situations where the deconfining transition occurs over a finite volume as in relativistic heavy ion collisions. where in addition expansion of the system and flow of matter are important. Simulation results employing finite elements are presented for a Ginzburg-Landau equation based on a model free energy describing the deconfining transition in pure gauge SU(2) theory. Results for finite and infinite system are compared. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sensory acceptability of raw and extruded bovine rumen protein in processed meat products

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

Interfacial concentrations of chloride and bromide in zwitterionic micelles with opposite dipoles: Experimental determination by chemical trapping and a theoretical description

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

Configuration-Dependent Diffusion Dynamics of Downhill and Two-State Protein Folding

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

The role of counterion on the thermotropic phase behavior of DODAB and DODAC vesicles

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effect of the addition of silanated silica on the mechanical properties of microwave heat-cured acrylic resin

Effect of the addition of silanated silica on the mechanical properties of microwave heat-cured acrylic resinObjectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the flexural strength and Vickers hardness of a microwave energy heat-cured acrylic resin by adding different concentrations of silane surface-treated nanoparticle silica.Methods: Acrylic resin specimens with dimensions of 65 x 10 x 2.5 mm were formed and divided into five experimental groups (n = 10) according to the silica concentration added to the acrylic resin mass (weight %) prior to polymerisation : G1, without silica; G2, 0.1% silica; G3, 0.5% silica; G4, 1.0% silica; and G5, 5.0% silica. The specimens were submitted to a three-point flexural strength test and to the Vickers hardness test (HVN). The data obtained were statistically analysed by ANOVA and the Tukey test (alpha = 0.05).Results: Regarding flexural strength, G5 differed from the other experimental groups (G1, G2, G3 and G4) presenting the lowest mean, while G4 presented a significantly higher mean, with the exception of group G3. Regarding Vickers hardness, a decrease in values was observed, in which G1 presented the highest hardness compared with the other experimental groups.Conclusion: Incorporating surface-treated silica resulted in direct benefits in the flexural strength of the acrylic resin activated by microwave energy; however, similar results were not achieved for hardness.

Influence of chemical activation of a 35% hydrogen peroxide bleaching gel on its penetration and efficacy-In vitro study

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)