Medium Chain Fatty Acids Are Selective Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor (PPAR) gamma Activators and Pan-PPAR Partial Agonists

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

Role of PKC and CaV1.2 in Detrusor Overactivity in a Model of Obesity Associated with Insulin Resistance in Mice

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

Interaction between Advanced Glycation End Products Formation and Vascular Responses in Femoral and Coronary Arteries from Exercised Diabetic Rats

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

Thermal and Structural Behavior of Dioctadecyldimethylammonium Bromide Dispersions Studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry and X-Ray Scattering

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

Fundamental Limits on Wavelength, Efficiency and Yield of the Charge Separation Triad

In an attempt to optimize a high yield, high efficiency artificial photosynthetic protein we have discovered unique energy and spatial architecture limits which apply to all light-activated photosynthetic systems. We have generated an analytical solution for the time behavior of the core three cofactor charge separation element in photosynthesis, the photosynthetic cofactor triad, and explored the functional consequences of its makeup including its architecture, the reduction potentials of its components, and the absorption energy of the light absorbing primary-donor cofactor. Our primary findings are two: First, that a high efficiency, high yield triad will have an absorption frequency more than twice the reorganization energy of the first electron transfer, and second, that the relative distance of the acceptor and the donor from the primary-donor plays an important role in determining the yields, with the highest efficiency, highest yield architecture having the light absorbing cofactor closest to the acceptor. Surprisingly, despite the increased complexity found in natural solar energy conversion proteins, we find that the construction of this central triad in natural systems matches these predictions. Our analysis thus not only suggests explanations for some aspects of the makeup of natural photosynthetic systems, it also provides specific design criteria necessary to create high efficiency, high yield artificial protein-based triads.

Functional Characterization of an Aspergillus fumigatus Calcium Transporter (PmcA) that Is Essential for Fungal Infection

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

Altered Glucose Homeostasis and Hepatic Function in Obese Mice Deficient for Both Kinin Receptor Genes

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

Os discursos do jornal impresso O Liberal sobre violência escolar em Belém (2001-2010)

O presente trabalho investiga os discursos da mídia impressa (jornal), acerca da violência escolar em Belém do Pará, no período de 2001 a 2010. Ante tal iniciativa, aponta-se como questão norteadora do estudo, saber: Qual o(s) significado(s) e sentido(s) de violência escolar produzidos nos discursos do jornal impresso “O Liberal” em Belém, no período de 2001- 2010? Com o objetivo de: a) investigar quais os significados e sentidos produzidos pelo jornal impresso “O Liberal”, em Belém, no período de 2001-2010; (b) identificar qual a recorrência de matérias sobre violência escolar no jornal impresso “O Liberal” em Belém, no período de 2001-2010; (c) verificar que discursos são materializados no jornal impresso “O Liberal” em Belém, no período de 2001-2010, sobre a violência escolar, e por fim, (d) identificar a relação das imagens fotográficas com a construção discursiva do jornal impresso de “O Liberal”, em Belém, no período de 2001-2010, sobre violência escolar. E, uma vez partindo dos pressupostos da pesquisa documental, o corpus da pesquisa exploratória constitui-se de duzentos e sessenta (260) peças jornalísticas, levantadas junto à Biblioteca Pública Arthur Vianna (CENTUR). A partir desse corpus de 260 peças jornalísticas, consideramos vinte (20) peças jornalísticas, para compor o corpus de análise dessa dissertação, que se destaca por seu tratamento explícito e nomeado da violência escolar. A análise dar-se-á à luz da teoria/análise do discurso bakhtiniano; para a qual, todo discurso está impregnado de intenções ideológicas, o que dá significado e sentido às mensagens da mídia. O exame dos achados nos proporcionou concluir que, o número de publicações de peças com teor explícito na abordagem da violência escolar é muito pequeno em relação ao período estudado. Constatou-se também que o jornal “O Liberal” possui um posicionamento acerca da violência escolar que busca consolidar sempre que a aborda por meio da apropriação de falas testemunhais e do discurso científico. Verificou-se ainda que, a teia discursiva das matérias jornalísticas analisadas conjuga basicamente dez elementos quase sempre reiteráveis, sobre os quais compõe sentidos e apreciações que extrapolam significações dicionarizadas; em cuja trama, a imagem funciona como partícipe do movimento enunciativo que, da mesma forma evidencia a figura do aluno como principal ator das ocorrências violentas na escola e do fenômeno como caso de polícia e recursos de segurança. Neste sentido, espera-se poder contribuir para uma apreciação crítica da mídia em suas dimensões próprias de construção dos debates públicos; assim como para uma compreensão da violência escolar no âmbito da sua veiculação.

Ancient Dispersal of the Human Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus gattii from the Amazon Rainforest

Over the past two decades, several fungal outbreaks have occurred, including the high-profile 'Vancouver Island' and 'Pacific Northwest' outbreaks, caused by Cryptococcus gattii, which has affected hundreds of otherwise healthy humans and animals. Over the same time period, C. gattii was the cause of several additional case clusters at localities outside of the tropical and subtropical climate zones where the species normally occurs. In every case, the causative agent belongs to a previously rare genotype of C. gattii called AFLP6/VGII, but the origin of the outbreak clades remains enigmatic. Here we used phylogenetic and recombination analyses, based on AFLP and multiple MLST datasets, and coalescence gene genealogy to demonstrate that these outbreaks have arisen from a highly-recombining C. gattii population in the native rainforest of Northern Brazil. Thus the modern virulent C. gattii AFLP6/VGII outbreak lineages derived from mating events in South America and then dispersed to temperate regions where they cause serious infections in humans and animals.

Effect of melatonin on tumor growth and angiogenesis in xenograft model of breast cancer

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

Identification of Novel Compounds Inhibiting Chikungunya Virus-Induced Cell Death by High Throughput Screening of a Kinase Inhibitor Library

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne arthrogenic alphavirus that causes acute febrile illness in humans accompanied by joint pains and in many cases, persistent arthralgia lasting weeks to years. The re-emergence of CHIKV has resulted in numerous outbreaks in the eastern hemisphere, and threatens to expand in the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, no effective treatment is currently available. The present study reports the use of resazurin in a cell-based high-throughput assay, and an image-based high-content assay to identify and characterize inhibitors of CHIKV-infection in vitro. CHIKV is a highly cytopathic virus that rapidly kills infected cells. Thus, cell viability of HuH-7 cells infected with CHIKV in the presence of compounds was determined by measuring metabolic reduction of resazurin to identify inhibitors of CHIKV-associated cell death. A kinase inhibitor library of 4,000 compounds was screened against CHIKV infection of HuH-7 cells using the resazurin reduction assay, and the cell toxicity was also measured in non-infected cells. Seventy-two compounds showing >= 50% inhibition property against CHIKV at 10 mu M were selected as primary hits. Four compounds having a benzofuran core scaffold (CND0335, CND0364, CND0366 and CND0415), one pyrrolopyridine (CND0545) and one thiazol-carboxamide (CND3514) inhibited CHIKV-associated cell death in a dose-dependent manner, with EC50 values between 2.2 mu M and 7.1 mu M. Based on image analysis, these 6 hit compounds did not inhibit CHIKV replication in the host cell. However, CHIKV-infected cells manifested less prominent apoptotic blebs typical of CHIKV cytopathic effect compared with the control infection. Moreover, treatment with these compounds reduced viral titers in the medium of CHIKV-infected cells by up to 100-fold. In conclusion, this cell-based high-throughput screening assay using resazurin, combined with the image-based high content assay approach identified compounds against CHIKV having a novel antiviral activity -inhibition of virus-induced CPE - likely by targeting kinases involved in apoptosis.

Modular Hyperthermostable Bacterial Endo-beta-1, 4-Mannanase: Molecular Shape, Flexibility and Temperature-Dependent Conformational Changes

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

Microsatellite Organization in the Grasshopper Abracris flavolineata (Orthoptera: Acrididae) Revealed by FISH Mapping: Remarkable Spreading in the A and B Chromosomes

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

Genome-Wide Association for Growth Traits in Canchim Beef Cattle

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

An Additional Baurusuchid from the Cretaceous of Brazil with Evidence of Interspecific Predation among Crocodyliformes

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