Development and characterization of microsatellite loci in the marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus Cervidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Atratividade de genótipos de feijão-caupi para oviposição de Bemisia tabaci biótipo B

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a atratividade de genótipos de feijão-caupi para oviposição de Bemisia tabaci biótipo B e identificar possíveis fontes de resistência à mosca-branca. Foram avaliados 51 genótipos, com uso de testes de chance de escolha. Os genótipos foram divididos aleatoriamente em dois grupos, tendo-se utilizado o genótipo Canapu como testemunha sucetível. Os 14 genótipos mais promissores (sete de cada grupo) foram selecionados para a realização de ensaios complementares (com ou sem chance de escolha). No teste com chance de escolha, os genótipos BRS-Urubuquara, TVU-36, TE93-244-23 F-1, BR 17-Gurgueia, BRS-Marataoã, MNC99-541 F-21 e TE97-304 G-4 foram menos atrativos à mosca-branca. Os genótipos TE93-244-23 F-1 e TVU-36 apresentaram resistência pelo mecanismo de não preferência para ovoposição. No teste sem chance de escolha, apenas o genótipo TVU-36 apresentou resistência por esse mecanismo.

Pkc1 acts through Zds1 and Gic1 to suppress growth and cell polarity defects of a yeast eIF5A mutant

eIF5A is a highly conserved putative eukaryotic translation initiation factor that has been implicated in translation initiation, nucleocytoplasmic transport, mRNA decay, and cell proliferation, but with no precise function assigned so far. We have previously shown that high-copy PKCI suppresses the phenotype of tif51A-1, a temperature-sensitive mutant of eIF5A in S. cerevisiae. Here, in an attempt to further understand how Pkc1 functionally interacts with eIF-5A, it was determined that PKCI suppression of tif51A-1 is independent of the cell integrity MAP kinase cascade. Furthermore, two new suppressor genes, ZDS1 and GIC1, were identified. We demonstrated that ZDS1 and ZDS2 are necessary for PKC1, but not for GIC1 suppression. Moreover, high-copy GIC1 also suppresses the growth defect of a PKCI mutant (stt1), suggesting the existence of a Pkc1-Zds1-Gic1 pathway. Consistent with the function of Gic1 in actin organization, the tif51A-1 strain shows an actin polarity defect that is partially recovered by overexpression of Pkc1 and Zds1 as well as Gic1. Additionally, PCL1 and BNI1, important regulators of yeast cell polarity, also suppress tif51A-1 temperature sensitiviiy Taken together, these data strongly Support the correlated involvement of Pkc1 and eIF5A in establishing actin polarity, which is essential for bud formation and G1/S transition in S. cerevisiae.

Influences of thermal and electric load fluctuations in the cogeneration attractiveness

The use of mean values of thermal and electric demand can be justifiable for synthesising the configuration and for estimating the economic results because it simplifies the analysis in a preliminary feasibility study of a cogeneration plant. For determining the cogeneration scheme that best fits the energetic needs of a process several cycles and combinations must be considered, and those technically feasible will be analysed according to economic models. Although interesting for a first approach, this procedure do not consider that the peaks and valleys present in the load patterns will impose additional constraints relatively to the equipment capacities. In this paper, the effects of thermal and electric load fluctuation to the cogeneration plant design were considered. An approach for modelling these load variability is proposed for comparing two competing thermal and electric parity competing schemes. A gas turbine associated to a heat recovery steam generator was then proposed and analysed for thermal- and electric-following operational strategies. Thermal-following option revealed to be more attractive for the technical and economic limits defined for this analysis. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soroprevalência da arterite viral equina em mesorregiões paulistas entre 2007 e 2008

This study investigated the occurrence of equine arteritis virus antibodies using neutralization test in 1,400 horses from Campinas and macro metropolitan paulista mesoregions located at São Paulo State, between 2007 and 2008. Eighty (5.7%) samples showed antibodies to virus (titers from 4 to 4,096). Among the 42 cities, 15 (35.7%) presented at least one seropositive animal to equine arteritis virus. of the 238 farms analyzed 41 showed at least one seropositive animal. The occurrence was higher in sport horses like jumping horses, Quarter horses and was similar for female and male. The rate of seropositive was higher in animals older than 24 months of age. These results suggest the virus circulation among horse population in studied farms, and the need for continuing epidemiological surveillance studies.

Genetic variability of porcine parvovirus isolates revealed by analysis of partial sequences of the structural coding gene VP2

The 3'-terminal 853 nt (and the putative 283 aa) sequence of the VP2-encoding gene from 29 field strains of porcine parvovirus (PPV) were determined and compared both to each other and with other published sequences. Sequences were examined using maximum-parsimony and statistical analyses for nucleotide diversity and sequence variability. Among the nucleotide sequences of the PPV field strains, 26 polymorphic sites were encountered; 22 polymorphic sites were detected in the putative amino acid sequence. Mapping polymorphic sites of protein data onto the three-dimensional (3D) structure of PPV VP2 revealed that almost all substitutions were located on the external surface of the viral capsid. Mapping amino acid substitutions to the alignment between PPV VP2 sequences and the 3D structure of canine parvovirus (CPV) capsid, many PPV substitutions were observed to map to regions of recognized antigenicity and/or to contain phenotypically important residues for CPV and other parvoviruses. In spite of the high sequence similarity, genetic analysis has shown the existence of at least two virus lineages among the samples. In conclusion, these results highlight the need for close surveillance on PPV genetic drift, with an assessment of its potential ability to modify the antigenic make-up of the virus.

Biodegradation of oil refinery residues using mixed-culture of microorganisms isolated from a landfarming

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

Effect of cyproterone acetate on alpha1-adrenoceptor subtypes in rat vas deferens

Gonadal hormones regulate the expression of alpha1-adrenoceptor subtypes in several tissues. The present study was carried out to determine whether or not cyproterone acetate, an anti-androgenic agent, regulates the alpha1-adrenoceptor subtypes that mediate contractions of the rat vas deferens in response to noradrenaline. The actions of subtype selective alpha1-antagonists were investigated in vas deferens from control and cyproterone acetate-treated rats (10 mg/day, sc, for 7 days). Prazosin (pA2 ~9.5), phentolamine (pA2 ~8.3) and yohimbine (pA2 ~6.7) presented competitive antagonism consistent with activation of alpha1-adrenoceptors in vas deferens from both control and treated rats. The pA2 values estimated for WB 4101 (~9.5), benoxathian (~9.7), 5-methylurapidil (~8.5), indoramin (~8.7) and BMY 7378 (~6.8) indicate that alpha1A-adrenoceptors are involved in the contractions of the vas deferens from control and cyproterone acetate-treated rats. Treatment of the vas deferens from control rats with the alpha1B/alpha1D-adrenoceptor alkylating agent chloroethylclonidine had no effect on noradrenaline contractions, supporting the involvement of the alpha1A-subtype. However, this agent partially inhibited the contractions of vas deferens from cyproterone acetate-treated rats, suggesting involvement of multiple receptor subtypes. To further investigate this, the actions of WB 4101 and chloroethylclonidine were reevaluated in the vas deferens from rats treated with cyproterone acetate for 14 days. In these organs WB 4101 presented complex antagonism characterized by a Schild plot with a slope different from unity (0.65 ± 0.05). After treatment with chloroethylclonidine, the complex antagonism presented by WB 4101 was converted into classical competitive antagonism, consistent with participation of alpha1A-adrenoceptors as well as alpha1B-adrenoceptors. These results suggest that cyproterone acetate induces plasticity in the alpha1-adrenoceptor subtypes involved in the contractions of the vas deferens.

Structure and biological activities of eumenine mastoparan-AF (EMP-AF), a new mast cell degranulating peptide in the venom of the solitary wasp (Anterhynchium flavomarginatum micado)

A new mast cell degranulating peptide, eumenine mastoparan-AF (EMP-AF), was isolated from the venom of the solitary wasp Anterhynchium flavomarginatum micado, the most common eumenine wasp found in Japan. The structure was analyzed by FAB-MS/MS together with Edman degradation, which was corroborated by solid-phase synthesis. The sequence of EMP-AF, Ile-Asn-Leu-Leu-Lys-Ile-Ala-Lys-Gly-Ile-lle-Lys-Ser-Leu-NH(2), was similar to that of mastoparan, a mast cell degranulating peptide from a hornet venom; tetradecapeptide with C-terminus amidated and rich in hydrophobic and basic amino acids. In fact, EMP-AF exhibited similar activity to mastoparan in stimulating degranulation from rat peritoneal mast cells and RBL-2H3 cells. It also showed significant hemolytic activity in human erythrocytes. Therefore, this is the first example that a mast cell degranulating peptide is found in the solitary wasp venom. Besides the degranulation and hemolytic activity, EMP-AF also affects on neuromuscular transmission in the lobster walking leg preparation. Three analogs EMP-AF-1 similar to 3 were snythesized and biologically tested together with EMP-AF, resulting in the importance of the C-terminal amide structure for biological activities. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electroactive LbL films of metallic phthalocyanines and poly(O-methoxyaniline) for sensing

Multilayered nanostructured films have been widely investigated for electrochemical applications as modified electrodes, including the layer-by-layer (LbL) films where properties such as thickness and film architecture can be controlled at the molecular level. In this study, we investigate the electrochemical features of LbL films of poly (o-methoxyaniline; POMA) and tetrasulfonated phthalocyanines containing nickel (NiTsPc) or copper (CuTsPc). The films displayed well-defined electroactivity, with redox pairs at 156 and 347 mV vs SCE, characteristic of POMA, which allowed their use as modified electrodes for detecting dopamine and ascorbic acid at concentrations as low as 10(-5) M.

Avaliação das Farinhas de Peixe e Pena, no Confinamento de Bezerros Leiteiros Desmamados, Através de Dietas Calculadas em Termos de Proteína Bruta ou de Proteína Metabolizável

The objectives of this work were to evaluate three protein sources - soybean meal, fish meal and feather meal - and two methods of calculation of rations - the calculated in terms of crude protein (CP), according to recommendations of NRC (1988); and the proposed by the AFRC (1993), and calculated in terms of metabolizable protein (MP) - through the performance of calves. The animals were confined and submitted to five diets, that varied only protein sources in its composition, thus discriminated: SM- Soybean Meal, FsM- Fish Meal, FeM- Feather Meal, FsMU- Fish Meal and Urea, and FeMU Feather Meal and Urea. A complete diet was supplied, composed of 40% of sorghum silage and 60% of concentrate. All treatments possessed about of 2.56 Mcal/kg DM of metabolizable energy, being the treatments SM, FsM and FeM calculated by the system of CP, with 18% of CP, and the treatments FsMU and FeMU, calculated by the system of MP, with 16.3% of CP and a same amount of metabolizable protein than the treatment SM, with 112.0 grams of MP/day. Individually, the treatments did not present significant differences (P > 0.05) in the final alive weight, in daily gain weight and in dry matter intake, having differences only in the feed:gain ratio. The best feed:gain ratio happened in the treatment FsM and the worst in the treatment FeMU. It is concluded that the MP method provides similar results to the method of CP. The treatments with fish meal provide larger weight gains, smaller intake and better feed:gain ratio than the treatments with feather meal, staying the treatment soybean meal with intermediary daily gain.

Electrochemical studies with copper-based alloys: open-circuit potential oscillations in alkaline media

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Ovarian follicular dynamics in Nelore breed (Bos indicus) cattle

The most common beef cattle raised in Brazil is the Nelore breed (Bos indicus). Information obtained by ultrasonography on follicular growth in Bos taurus cattle has been accumulating rapidly. However, there are few publications to date on follicular development in Bos indicus breeds. The follicular dynamics in Nelore heifers and cows during natural or prostaglandin (PG)-induced estrous cycle were studied. From the detection of estrus onward, all animals were examined daily by ultrasonography for one (n=35) or two (n=10) consecutive estrous cycles. The follicular dynamic in Nelore cattle was characterized by the predominance of 2 follicular waves in the cows (83.3%, n=18, P<0.05) and 3 waves in the heifers (64.7%, n=16, P<0.05). Most of the cattle observed over 2 consecutive estrous cycles presented the same pattern of follicular waves in the first and second cycle, and only 30% showed variation in the number of waves from one cycle to the other. Most of the follicular parameters analyzed were not affected by PG treatment or age but were altered by follicular waves. Consequently, data on cows and heifers were combined according to the number of follicular waves. The ovulatory follicle was larger than the other dominant follicles (P<0.05), and the ovulatory wave was shorter than the preceding waves (P<0.05). The interovulatory interval was longer in animals showing 3 waves than those exhibiting 2 waves (P<0.05). Maximum diameter of the dominant follicle (around 11 mm) and of the corpus luteum (CL, approximately 17 mm) were smatter than those reported for European breeds. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that although the dominant follicle and corpus luteum are smaller than in European breeds, the follicular dynamics in Nelore cattle were similar to those observed in European breeds and were characterized by 2 or 3 follicular waves for cows and heifers, respectively, during the natural or prostaglandin-induced estrous cycle. (C) 1997 by Elsevier B.V.

Effect of intracerebroventricular injection of ramipril on the drinking response caused by injection of noradrenaline into the third ventricle

We studied the effect of ramipril injected into the third ventricle (3rdV) on the control of water intake induced by injection of noradrenaline into the 3rdV of adult male Holtzman rats (250-300 g) implanted with a chronic stainless steel cannula into the 3rdV. The injection volume was always 1 mu l and was injected over a period of 30-60 sec. Control animals were injected with 0.15 M NaCl. After the injection of isotonic saline (control, 0.15 M NaCl) into the 3rdV, water ingestion was 0.3 +/- 0.1 ml/h. Ramipril (1 mu g/mu l) injected into the 3rdV prior to isotonic saline produced no changes in water ingestion (0.4 +/- 0.2 ml/h). The injection of noradrenaline (40 nmol/mu l) after isotonic saline induced an increase in water intake (3.0 +/- 1.1 ml/h). The prior injection of ramipril decreased this ingestion to 1.8 +/- 0.3 ml/h. These data show that the inhibition of converting enzyme in the brain reduces the water intake induced by catecholaminergic stimulation. We conclude that the brain is able to transform the prodrug ramipril into the active drug ramiprilat.

Highly swollen liquid crystals as new reactors for the synthesis of nanomaterials

Synthesis and self-assembly of nanomaterials can be controlled by the properties of soft matter. on one hand, dedicated nanoreactors such as reverse microemulsions or miniemulsions can be designed. on the other hand, direct shape control can be provided by the topology of liquid crystals that confine the reacting medium within a specific geometry. In the first case, the preparation of micro- or miniemulsions generally requires energetic mechanical stirring. The second approach uses thermodynamically stable systems, but it remains usually limited to binary (water + surfactant) systems. We report the preparation of different families of materials in highly ordered quaternary mediums that exhibit a liquid crystal structure with a high cell parameter. They were prepared with the proper ratios of salted water, nonpolar solvent, surfactant. and cosurfactants that form spontaneously swollen hexagonal phases. These swollen liquid crystals can be prepared from all classes of surfactants (cationic, anionic, and nonionic). They contain a regular network of parallel cylinders, whose diameters can be swollen with a nonpolar solvent, that are regularly spaced in a continuous aqueous salt solution. We demonstrate in the present report that both aqueous and organic phases can be used as nanoreactors for the preparation of materials. This property is illustrated by various examples such as the synthesis of platinum nanorods prepared in the aqueous phase or zirconia needles or the photo- or gamma-ray-induced polymerization of polydiacetylene in the organic phase. In all cases, materials can be easily extracted and their final shapes are directed by the structure-directing effect imposed by the liquid crystal.