Fruit maturation as a parameter for selection of sweet orange cultivars in Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Protein diets promote the maturation of oocytes and spawning of Piaractus mesopotamicus kept in cages

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of balanced diets on the maturation of oocytes and the reproductive performance of P. mesopotamicus in cages. A completely random design with 224 fish in 16 cages measuring 5 m(3) was employed for this purpose. The treatments consisted of diets containing 18, 24, 30, and 36% crude protein (CP) provided ad libitum. The external and internal morphological characteristics of the specimens were examined, as well as: the position of the germinal vesicle, the distribution of oocyte diameters, the fertilization and hatching rates, the number of oocytes released, the total number of oocytes, the remaining weight and total weight of the ovaries, the gonadosomatic index, the condition factor (K), and the histology of the oocytes and ovaries post-spawning and during ovarian regression. The diameters of the oocytes collected before the first hormonal application displayed a unimodal distribution for the lowest protein content and a polymodal distribution for the other treatments. A similar situation was seen during spawning. The lowest fertilization and hatching rates were found as a consequence of the treatment with 30% CP (P < 0.05). The greatest hatching rate occurred in the females fed 18% CP. The greatest total oocyte weight was found in the specimens that received between 30 and 36% CP. The lowest K index was found in the females fed 36% CP. In conclusion, a diet containing 18% CP satisfies the reproductive requirements of females adapted to this system.

Physiological Responses and Characteristics of Table Tennis Matches Determined in Official Tournaments

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

CATHODIC BEHAVIOUR of ANODIZED TITANIUM IN SIMULATED PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS

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

Physiological and Stroke Parameters to Assess Aerobic Capacity in Swimming

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

The effect of serum on in vitro maturation, in vitro fertilization and steroidogenesis of bovine oocytes co-cultured with granulosa cells.

The influence of fetal calf serum alone (FCS) or associated with proestrous (FCS+PCS), estrous (FCS+ECS) or metaestrous (FCS+MCS) cow serum added to the culture medium and of the steroids produced by co-cultured granulosa cells were evaluated in terms of the in vitro maturation (IVM) and fertilization (IVF) of bovine oocytes. Supplementation of the medium with FCS+ECS and FCS+MCS resulted in higher proportions of oocytes that reached metaphase II (96.0% and 93.3%, respectively) and in higher proportions of embryos that reached the four- and eight-cell/morula stages (51.9% and 65.6%, respectively), whereas the supplementation with FCS and FCS+PCS resulted in only 79.2% and 67.5%, respectively, of matured oocytes and 26.7% and 34.3%, respectively, of cleaved embryos. These findings show that the best IVM and IVF were obtained at lower concentrations of estradiol produced by co-cultured granulosa cells (supplementation with FCS+ECS: 10.3 ng/ml and FCS+MCS: 2.1 ng/ml), whereas the worst results in IVM and IVF occurred at higher concentrations of estradiol that were obtained with FCS (33.1 ng/ml) and FCS+PCS (19.9 ng/ml) supplementation. These data suggest an inhibitory effect of estradiol on resumption of oocyte meiosis in vitro.

Qualidade fisiológica de sementes de pepino cv. pérola, em função da idade e do tempo de repouso pós-colheita dos frutos

This work was carried out at the Fazenda Experimental Lageado, at Botucatu, SP, to evaluate the physiological quality of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), seeds harvested at different fruit maturity stages and post-harvest resting periods. Fruits of cultivar Pérola were harvested at 6 ages (20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 days after anthesis) and they were stored at room temperature for 0, 5, 10 or 15 days before seed extraction. After this, seeds were fermented for 2 days, washed and dried. External visual characteristics of fruits and seeds were observed at harvest. Seed quality was evaluated as for moisture, dry matter content, dimensions, germination, and vigour. Results showed that seed germination and vigour increased in fruits aging from 20 to 40 days. Post-harvest periods improved seed quality of 20-day old fruits not reaching the seed quality levels observed in 40 or 45-day old fruits, without post-harvest resting period. Seeds from fruits at 25, 30 and 35 days of age, with 10 or 15 days of post-harvest resting period reached the same quality levels of seeds from fruits with 40-45 days old.

Efeitos da idade dos frutos, método e condição de secagem sobre a qualidade de sementes de quiabeiro. II. Cultivar Amarelinho

Fruits of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench.) cv. Amarelinho were harvested at three times: 35, 45 and 55 days after anthesis. Half part of the fruits of each harvest time was shelled and the seeds were dried in natural environment of laboratory or in dry chamber. The other half was dried unshelled in the same two conditions. Water contents of seeds were evaluated at harvest time and before the germination test, that was carried out when the seeds were in hygroscopic equilibrium with the two environments. The physiological quality of seeds was affected by the interaction effects of fruit age, drying method and drying condition. The highest values for percentage of germination were obtained from seeds taken from fruits 55 days old (up to 92%) and the hard seeds percentage was not affected by drying method and drying condition. The seeds from fruits of 35 and 45 days old had the germination percentage increased when dried inside the fruit in natural environment.

Effect of electrolytic lesion of the median raphe nucleus on behavioral and physiological measures of stress.

The effect of electrolytic lesion of the median raphe nucleus was measured on behavioral and physiological parameters related to stress 24 h after the lesion. In of the elevated plus-maze the lesion decreased the percentage of open arm entries and tended to shorten the time spent on the open arms indicating an increase in anxiety. In contrast, the lesion markedly increased the time spent in the bright (aversive) compartment of the light-dark box and decrease in attempts to cross from the dark toward the bright compartment, an anxiolyic effect. With the exception of plasma prolactin level, which was lowered by the lesion, the physiological measures used in the present study indicate that the lesioned animals are under stress. Thus, death rate and weight loss after the surgery were higher in lesioned than in control animals. In addition, lesioned animals showed higher plasma corticosterone levels, a high incidence of gastric ulcers in the fundus and a depressed immune response to the mitogen concavaline A. These results highlight the importance of the median raphe nucleus in the regulation of stress and anxiety. They also show that behavioral and physiological measures of stress may be dissociated.

The effects of wet suits on physiological and biomechanical indices during swimming

The objectives of this study were to verify the effects of wet suits (WS) on the performance during 1500m swimming (V1500), on the velocity corresponding to the anaerobic threshold (VAT) and on the drag force (AD) as well as its coefficient (Cx). 19 swimmers randomly completed the following protocols on different days (with and without WS): 1) maximal performance of 1500m swimming; 2) VAT in field test, with fixed concentration of blood lactate (4 mM) and 3) determination of hydrodynamic indices (AD and Cx). The results demonstrated significant differences (p < 0.05) in the VAT (1.27±0.09; 1.21±0.06 m.s-1), and in the V1500 (1.21±0.08; 1.17±0.08 m.s-1), with and without WS, respectively. However the AD, and its Cx did not present significant differences (p>0.05) for the respective maximal speeds of swimming. In summary, we can conclude that WS allows swimmers to reach greater speeds in both, long- and short-course swims. This improvement can be related to the decrease of the AD, since with higher speeds (with WS) the subjects presented the same resistance, as they did when compared to speeds without a WS. Moreover, these data suggest that the methodology used in this study to determine the Cx is unable to detect the improvement caused by WS.