Involvement of major components from sporothrix schenckii cell wall in the caspase-1 activation, nitric oxide and cytokines production during experimental sporotrichosis

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

Avaliação dos parâmetros tempo, corrente e pressão na soldagem por resistência elétrica de compósitos PEI/fibras contínuas: influência na resistência mecânica

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

Structural damage detection in an aeronautical panel using analysis of variance

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

Expression of cellular components in granulomatous inflammatory response in piaractus mesopotamicus model

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

Alterations of protein expression in conditions of copper-deprivation for Paracoccidioides lutzii in the presence of extracellular matrix components

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

Deposition of bodily chemical components in the carcass of tilapia (oreochromis sp.) strains

The knowledge of how animals deposited chemical components as water, protein, fat and ash in the carcass is importance for the formulation of a balanced diet, allowing maximum performance with a low environmental impact. So, the study was carried out to evaluate the influence of different tilapia strains (Chitralada, Commercial, Red and Universidade Federal de Lavras [UFLA]) on the deposition of bodily chemical components in the carcass. The bodily components analyzed were water, protein, fat and ash. For the determination of the bodily chemical deposition curves by age, the exponential, Brody, logistic, Gompertz and von Bertalanffy models were adjusted. The Commercial and UFLA strains deposited water at a faster speed (P<0.05) compared with the remaining strains. As for protein, the Red strain had a lower estimated maturity weight (49.37 g), and was more precocious (202 days) with regard to maximum deposition in comparison to the other strains (Chitralada, UFLA and Commercial) in which there was an estimated maturity weight of 231.5 g and maximum depositionfor 337 days. There were no differences (P>0.05) for the logistic model parameter between Red, UFLA and Commercial strains for fat, which presented a maximum fat deposition (0.23 g) at 310 days of age. Regarding ash deposition, the Commercial strain presented a higher maximum deposition (0.10 g) at 337 days, occurring later than the other strains that presented maximum deposition (0.033g) at 254 days of age. Thus, it was concluded that the genetic strains evaluated differ in chemical deposition curves of water, protein, fat and ash.

Performance, carcass characteristics and non-carcass components of Texel × Santa Inês lambs fed fat sources and monensin

Performance, carcass, non-carcass and commercial cuts and components of Texel × Santa Inês crossbred lambs, managed in confinement and fed diets based on soybean oil, soybeans and a conventional diet, with or without the use of monensin (78 ppm dry matter basis) were evaluated. Thirty-six Texel × Santa Inês lambs (18 males and 18 females) were managed in intensive systems. Animals were slaughtered after 87 days of confinement, and performance, carcass characteristics, weight and percentages of carcass and non-carcass components were evaluated. The animals fed the control diet had heavier carcass and parts than animals fed soybean, while the oil diet did not differ from the controls in most parameters. The animals fed soybean showed lower intake kg dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and metabolizable energy (ME) compared with animals fed the control diet, increased ether extract (EE) intake in kg, % body weight (BW) and metabolic weight (MW) and did not differ from the soybean oil diet. Animals receiving monensin had lower DM intake, OM, CP, EE, NDF, gross energy (GE) regardless of the expression, % kg BW, or % PM, than the animals that did not receive the additive. Males produced better and had heavier cuts than the females; the latter deposited subcutaneous fat earlier. Animals that received oil or soybean showed greater body weight and small intestine percentage. Soybean oil intake did not improve performance, carcass weights or parts of Santa Ines × Texel lambs in confinement. Soybeans at 15% dry matter reduced energy intake and lamb performance. The use of monensin at 78 ppm on a dry matter basis is not recommended for lambs in confinement, especially if associated with oil or soybeans that may harm animal performance.

Effect of essential oils of Syzygium aromaticum and Cinnamomum zeylanicum and their major components on biofilm production in Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from milk of cows with mastitis

Bovine mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary glands of cows and causes significant economic losses in dairy cattle. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the microorganisms most commonly isolated. Novel agents are required in agricultural industries to prevent the development of mastitis. The production of biofilm by Staph. aureus facilitates the adhesion of bacteria to solid surfaces and contributes to the transmission and maintenance of these bacteria. The effect of the essential oils of Syzygium aromaticum (clove; EOSA) and Cinnamomum zeylanicum (cinnamon; EOCZ) and their major components, eugenol and cinnamaldehyde, on Staph. aureus biofilm formation on different surfaces was investigated. The results showed a significant inhibition of biofilm production by EOSA on polystyrene and stainless steel surfaces (69.4 and 63.6%, respectively). However, its major component, eugenol, was less effective on polystyrene and stainless steel (52.8 and 19.6%, respectively). Both EOCZ and its major component, cinnamaldehyde, significantly reduced biofilm formation on polystyrene (74.7 and 69.6%, respectively) and on stainless steel surfaces (45.3 and 44.9%, respectively). These findings suggest that EOSA, EOCZ, and cinnamaldehyde may be considered for applications such as sanitization in the food industry.

Forensic electrochemistry: indirect electrochemical sensing of the components of the new psychoactive substance Synthacaine

Synthacaine is a New Psychoactive Substance which is, due to its inherent psychoactive properties, reported to imitate the effects of cocaine and is therefore consequently branded as legal cocaine. The only analytical approach reported to date for the sensing of Synthacaine is mass spectrometry. In this paper, we explore and evaluate a range of potential analytical techniques for its quantification and potential use in the field screening Synthacaine using Raman spectroscopy, presumptive (colour) testing, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and electrochemistry. HPLC analysis of street samples reveals that Synthacaine comprises a mixture of methiopropamine (MPA) and 2-aminoindane (2-AI). Raman spectroscopy and presumptive (colour) tests, the Marquis, Mandelin, Simon's and Robadope test, are evaluated towards a potential in-the-field screening approach but are found to not be able to discriminate between the two when they are both present in the same sample, as is the case in the real street samples. We report for the first time a novel indirect electrochemical protocol for the sensing of MPA and 2-AI which is independently validated in street samples with HPLC. This novel electrochemical approach based upon one-shot disposable cost effective screen-printed graphite macroelectrodes holds potential for in-the-field screening for Synthacaine.

Potent mutagenicity in the Ames test of 2-cyano-4-nitroaniline and 2,6-dicyano-4-nitroaniline, components of disperse dyes

Genotoxicity data on commercial azo dyes and their components remain sparse, despite their widespread use. We have tested the mutagenicity of 2-cyano-4-nitroaniline (CNNA) and 2,6-dicyano-4-nitroaniline (CNCNNA), components of azo dyes such as Disperse Blue 165 and Disperse Red 73, in Ames test strains. Both compounds are extraordinarily potent frameshift mutagens, with much greater activity than structurally similar dihalonitroanilines and halodinitroanilines. Analysis of the responses of strains over-expressing or deficient in bioactivation enzymes shows that bacterial nitroreductase and acetyl CoA: arylamine N-acetyltransferase are important mediators of the mutagenicity of CNNA and CNCNNA. Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Brazilian soccer players and no-players adolescents: effect of the maturity status on the physical capacity components performance

The aim of this study was to compare the speed and the agility between Brazilian soccer players and non-players, regarding maturity status in adolescents 11-15 years old. Forty and two soccer players (age – 159.30±17.28 months old; weight – 48.45±9.96 kg; height – 1.53±0.10 m) and 45 non-players (age – 162.62±24.92 months old; weight – 48.30±8.35 kg; height – 1.54±0.12 m) participated of this study. Participants were classified by maturity status. On 2 different days with 1 week of differences between the assessments the participants were evaluated the agility, by Shuttle Run test, and the speed, by 30 m maximum speed test. The results showed that the maturity status was an influential factor in the performance with better results for individuals in a more advanced stage. The soccer practice does not seem to interfere in the performance of the physical capacity components analyzed, only effective when different maturity levels are involved in the analysis. It is also possible that late maturing boys selectively drop-out of soccer as age and sport specialization increase.

Association of dietary patterns with metabolic syndrome components in low-income, free-living Brazilian adults

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Optical Components for WDM Lightwave Networks

Recently, there has been growing interest in developing optical fiber networks to support the increasing bandwidth demands of multimedia applications, such as video conferencing and World Wide Web browsing. One technique for accessing the huge bandwidth available in an optical fiber is wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM). Under WDM, the optical fiber bandwidth is divided into a number of nonoverlapping wavelength bands, each of which may be accessed at peak electronic rates by an end user. By utilizing WDM in optical networks, we can achieve link capacities on the order of 50 THz. The success of WDM networks depends heavily on the available optical device technology. This paper is intended as a tutorial on some of the optical device issues in WDM networks. It discusses the basic principles of optical transmission in fiber and reviews the current state of the art in optical device technology. It introduces some of the basic components in WDM networks, discusses various implementations of these components, and provides insights into their capabilities and limitations. Then, this paper demonstrates how various optical components can be incorporated into WDM optical networks for both local and wide-area applications. Last, the paper provides a brief review of experimental WDM networks that have been implemented.

Cone contrast influence on components of the pattern onset/offset VECP

Transient visual evoked cortical potentials (VECP) were recorded from the scalp of healthy normal trichromats (n = 12). VECPs were elicited by onset/offset presentation of patterned stimuli of two kinds: isochromatic luminance-modulated, and equiluminant red-green modulated, sine wave gratings. The amplitude and latency of the major onset components of the onset/offset VECP were measured and plotted as a function of the logarithm of pooled cone contrast. The early onset components, achromatic C1 and chromatic N1, increase linearly with log contrast, but N1 has a higher contrast gain than C1. The late onset components, achromatic C2 and chromatic N2, have similar contrast gain, and similar response as a function of contrast level: both increase in the low-to-medium range of contrasts and saturate at high contrast levels. In the range of pooled cone contrast tested, C1 and N1 show similar latencies, whilst C2 shows shorter latencies than N2. We suggest that C1 and N1 are generated by the same visual mechanism with high red-green contrast gain and low luminance contrast gain, whilst C2 and N2 are generated by different visual mechanisms.

Respiratory rhythms in stingless bee workers: circadian and ultradian components throughout adult development

The workers of the stingless bee, Melipona quadrifasciata, assume different tasks during their adult life. Newly emerged individuals remain inside the nest, without contact with the external environment. Maturing workers go to more peripheral regions and only the oldest, the foragers, leave the nest. As this diversity of activities implies different metabolic patterns, oxygen consumption has been measured in workers of three different ages: 24-48 h (nurses), 10-15 days (builders), and older than 25 days (foragers). Oxygen consumption of individually isolated workers was determined by intermittent respirometry, under constant darkness and temperature of 25 +/- 1 degrees C. Sets of 24-h measurements were obtained from individuals belonging to each of the three worker groups. Rhythmicity has been assessed in the daily (24 h) and ultradian (5-14 h) domains. This experimental design allowed detection of endogenous rhythms without the influence of the social group and without inflicting stress on the individuals, as would be caused by their longer isolation from the colony. Significant 24-h rhythms in oxygen consumption were present in nurses, builders and foragers; therefore, workers are rhythmic from the age of 24-48 h. However, the amplitude of the circadian rhythm changed according to age: nurses showed the lowest values, while foragers consistently presented the largest ones, about ten times larger than the amplitude of nurses` respiratory rhythm. Ultradian frequencies were detected for all worker groups, the power and frequencies of which varied little with age. This means that the ultradian strength was relatively larger in nurses and apparently maintains some relationship with the queen`s oviposition episodes.