Diplopods as Bioindicators of Soils: Analysis of Midgut of Individuals Maintained in Substract Containing Sewage Sludge     

Juliana Aparecida Preto de Godoy  Carmem S. Fontanetti 《Water, air, and soil pollution》2010,210(1-4):389-398

Diplopods feed organic matter in decomposition; however, some environmental factors can promote changes in tissues of these animals. Sewage sludge has been applied for recuperation of physical structure of degraded soil. This work analyzed the influence of the sludge from a city of São Paulo in the midgut of the diplopod Rhinocricus padbergi. After the exposition to sludge, the midgut was prepared for histological and ultra-structural analyses. After 1 week of exposition, there were various glycoprotein globules in the fat body, which appeared, ultrastructurally, little electron dense. In the animals exposed for 2 weeks, there was an intensive renovation of the epithelium with the invasion of regenerative cells, which was observed in the histological and ultra-structural analyses. These data showed that the sludge present various substances that were very hazardous for these animals; more studies were necessary before the application of this in agriculture.  相似文献   

Polyphenol oxidase from yacon roots (Smallanthus sonchifolius)     

Neves VA  da Silva MA 《Journal of agricultural and food chemistry》2007,55(6):2424-2430

Polyphenol oxidase (E.C. 1.14.18.1) (PPO) extracted from yacon roots (Smallanthus sonchifolius) was partially purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation and separation on Sephadex G-100. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 45 490+/-3500 Da and Km values of 0.23, 1.14, 1.34, and 5.0 mM for the substrates caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, 4-methylcatechol, and catechol, respectively. When assayed with resorcinol, DL-DOPA, pyrogallol, protocatechuic, p-coumaric, ferulic, and cinnamic acids, catechin, and quercetin, the PPO showed no activity. The optimum pH varied from 5.0 to 6.6, depending on substrate. PPO activity was inhibited by various phenolic and nonphenolic compounds. p-Coumaric and cinnamic acids showed competitive inhibition, with Ki values of 0.017 and 0.011 mM, respectively, using chlorogenic acid as substrate. Heat inactivation from 60 to 90 degrees C showed the enzyme to be relatively stable at 60-70 degrees C, with progressive inactivation when incubated at 80 and 90 degrees C. The Ea (apparent activation energy) for inactivation was 93.69 kJ mol-1. Sucrose, maltose, glucose, fructose, and trehalose at high concentrations appeared to protect yacon PPO against thermal inactivation at 75 and 80 degrees C.  相似文献   

Social behaviour of buffalo heifers during the establishment of a dominance hierarchy     

Aparecida de Fátima Madella-Oliveira  Celia Raquel Quirino  Carlos Ramon Ruiz-Miranda  Francisco Aloizio Fonseca 《Livestock Science》2012,146(1):73-79

This study investigated the social behaviour of buffalo heifers during the establishment of a dominance hierarchy under conditions that differed in space availability (pen, small pasture and large pasture), food competition and in the presence or absence of an intact bull. The herd consisted of 21 Mediterranean–Murrah crossbreed buffalo heifers and one bull. During the establishment of dominance hierarchy, one observer recorded all of agonistic interactions occurring in the pen, in the small pasture and in the large pasture. For the food competition test, the females were first separated into groups (G) of seven animals and the behavioural interactions within these groups were observed. The group levels were determined by the sociometric parameters (h′: Landau linearity index and DCI: directional consistency index). The percentage of unknown, one-way and two-way dyadic relationships; a social index, hierarchical position and correlations among feeding duration, latency, social index and hierarchical position were calculated. In the large pasture, the DCI value was 55.24% of the dyadic relationships were one-way and 36.19% were unknown; whereas in the small pasture and pen most of the dyads were unknown (54–63%) or one-way (33-41%). The social indexes observed were low (0.004 and 0.122). In the food competition test, h′ values were not significant for groups G1, G2, G3 and G6, and significant for Groups G4 and G5. The percentages of two-way dyadic relationships were high in G4 (80.95%) and G6 (100%) groups. Correlations among feeding duration and latency, social position and social index were all negative and significant. There were no significant correlations between body weight and social index or hierarchy position. This study showed that buffalo heifers established social dominance relationships among several of the herd members, but because there were several unknown dyads, the hierarchy is classified as semi-linear hierarchy. Two factors seemed to affect the establishment of social dominance and a hierarchy: adjusting to a new environment and the presence of an adult intact male, and the dominant females had advantage over the subordinate females during feeding in a trough. To reduce agonistic encounters between buffalo heifers suggest provide more space in the trough during feeding.  相似文献   

Low temperature induced changes in activity and protein levels of the enzymes associated to conversion of starch to sucrose in banana fruit   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Roberta Ghedini Der AgopianFernanda Helena Gonçalves Peroni-Okita  Claudinéia Aparecida SoaresJanaína Aparecida Mainardi  João Roberto Oliveira do NascimentoBeatriz Rosana Cordenunsi  Franco Maria LajoloEduardo Purgatto 《Postharvest Biology and Technology》2011,62(2):133-140

Storage at low temperature is the most frequently used method to extend the shelf life of banana fruit, and is fundamental for extended storage and transport over long distances. However, storage and transport conditions must be carefully controlled because of the high susceptibility of many commercial cultivars to chilling injury. The physiological behavior of bananas at low temperatures has been studied to identify possible mechanisms of resistance to chilling injury. The aim of this work was to evaluate differences in the starch-to-sucrose metabolism of a less tolerant and susceptible (Musa acuminata, AAA cv. Nanicão) and a more tolerant (M. acuminata × Musa balbusiana, AAB, cv. Prata) banana cultivar to chilling injury. Fruits of these cultivars were stored in chambers at 13 °C for 15 d, at which point they were transferred to 19 °C, where they were left until complete ripening. The low temperature induced significant changes in the metabolism of starch and sucrose in comparison to fruit ripened only at 19 °C. The sucrose accumulation was slightly higher in cv. Prata, and different patterns of starch degradation, sucrose synthesis, activity and protein levels of the α- and β-amylases, starch phosphorylase, sucrose synthase and sucrose phosphate synthase were detected between the cultivars. Our results suggest that starch-to-sucrose metabolism is likely part of the mechanism for cold acclimation in banana fruit, and the cultivar-dependent differences contribute to their ability to tolerate cold temperatures.  相似文献   

Germplasm characterization of Sesbania accessions based on multivariate analyses     

Elizabeth Ann Veasey  Eliana Aparecida Schammass  Roland Vencovsky  Paulo Sodero Martins  Gerhard Bandel 《Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution》2001,48(1):79-91

Nineteen Sesbania accessions were investigated, in a total of six species, to characterize the accessions based on morphological and agronomic data using multivariate methods, to identify a core set of morphological and agronomic attributes to be used in germplasm characterization of Sesbania spp., and to evaluate the forage potential of these accessions. Plots, in randomized block design, consisted of single 16 m-long rows of eight plants, spaced at 2 m between plants and 3 m between rows. Morphological data were obtained from the first four plants in each plot. The four remaining plants, submitted to four cuts at a height of 1 m, provided agronomic data. Principal component analysis indicated that variance accumulated by the first two components for morphological and agronomic data was 74.4% and 77.0%, respectively. Two large groups of accessions were formed in the cluster analysis for morphological data, one consisting of S. virgata, subgenus Daubentonia and the second group comprising the other five species. Cluster analysis using agronomic data classified higher yielding perennial species in three groups, and the annual species, which stood out principally in relation to seed production, in three other groups. Accession n° 8 of S. sesbanwas classified in an isolated group due to its forage superiority. A character discard resulted in the selection of eight characters: floral initiation, pod and leaf length, number of leaflet pairs, plant regrowth height, leaf dry matter yield, seed production and vigour, indicated as a core set of attributes for Sesbania germplasm characterization.  相似文献   

4-Acetoxydolastane diterpene from the Brazilian brown alga Canistrocarpus cervicornis as antileishmanial agent     

Dos Santos AO  Britta EA  Bianco EM  Ueda-Nakamura T  Filho BP  Pereira RC  Nakamura CV 《Marine drugs》2011,9(11):2369-2383

Natural marine products have shown an interesting array of diverse and novel chemical structures with potent biological activities. Our study reports the antiproliferative assays of crude extracts, fraction and pure compound (4R,9S,14S)-4α-acetoxy-9β,14α-dihydroxydolast-1(15),7-diene (1) obtained from brown alga Canistrocarpus cervicornis showing the antileishmanial activity. We showed that 1 had a dose-dependent activity during 72 h of treatment, exhibiting IC(50) of 2.0 μg/mL, 12.0 μg/mL, and 4.0 μg/mL for promastigote, axenic amastigote and intracellular amastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis, respectively. A cytotoxicity assay showed that the action of the isolated compound 1 was 93.0 times less toxic to the macrophage than to the protozoan. Additionally, compound 1 induced ultrastructural changes, including extensive mitochondrial damage; decrease in Rh123 fluorescence, suggesting interference with the mitochondrial membrane potential; and lipid peroxidation in parasite cells. The use of 1 from C. cervicornis against L. amazonensis parasites might be of great interest as a future alternative to the development of new antileishmanial drugs.  相似文献   

HPLC Screening and GC-MS Confirmation of Triazine Herbicides Residues in Drinking Water from Sugar Cane Area in Brazil     

Lanchote  Vera Lucia  Bonato  Pierina Sueli  Cerdeira  Antonio Luiz  Santos  Neife Aparecida Guinain  de Carvalho  Dermeval  Gomes  Marco Antonio 《Water, air, and soil pollution》2000,118(3-4):329-338

The extensive use of chlorotriazines as selectiveherbicides in agriculture and their relatively highpersistence imply that these compounds are now presentin the environment, contaminating surface and groundwater. In European countries, United States andCanada, the drinking water ordinance demands a limitedconcentration of 0.5 μg L^-1 for the sum of allpesticides and 0.1 μg L^-1 with respect to eachcompound, implying on the necessity of sensitive andselective analytical methods. In the present study wedescribe two methods for the analysis of atrazine,simazine and ametryn residues in surface and groundwater collected from the Espraiado Stream watershed,Ribeirão Preto region, SP, Brazil. The HPLC methodused for sample screening was based on herbicideextraction with dichloromethane:isopropanol (9:1, v/v)followed by reversed-phase chromatography (RP-8) withdetection at 220 nm. The presence of herbicides wasconfirmed by GC-MS after ethyl acetate extraction. Atotal of 250 samples collected at different sites fromOctober 1995 to July 1996 were analyzed. Ametrynresidues were detected in 17 samples but almost alwaysat concentrations below those maximum levels recommended by international agencies of environmental control.  相似文献   

Analysis of fatty acids in Longissimus muscle of steers of different genetic breeds finished in pasture systems     

Roseli das Graas Padre  Juliana Aparecida Aricetti  Sandra Terezinha Marques Gomes  Rafael Henrique de Tonissi Buschinelli de Goes  Fernanda Barros Moreira  Ivanor Nunes do Prado  Jesuí Vergílio Visentainer  Nilson Evelzio de Souza  Makoto Matsushita 《Livestock Science》2007,110(1-2):57-63

The chemical composition, the fatty acids profile, and conjugated linoleic acids content in Longissimus muscle (LM) of steers have been determined. For such, 18 steers (6, Nellore, NEL) and their Simmental (6, NSI), and Santa Gertrudes (6, NSG) crossbreds finished in pasture system with Brachiaria brizantha cv. marandu for about 3 months with approximate weight at slaughter of 480 kg at average age approximate of 25 months. The lipid content increased in the following order influenced by genetic groups: Nellore, F1 Nellore × Simmental and F1 Nellore × Santa Gertrudes crossbreds. The lipid content increased while moisture, ash and protein contents decreased. The content of saturated fatty acids (SFA) was affected by genetic groups. The conjugated linoleic acids contents (CLA) in fat were similar in the genetic groups, but the quantity of CLA concentrations in muscle lipids of steers with larger total lipid was higher. The predominant CLA was CLA cis-9, trans-11.  相似文献   

The use of alfalfa leaf protein concentrates as a protein source in diets for tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus)     

Miguel A. Olvera-Novoa  Silvia G. Campos  Mirna G. Sabido  Carlos A. Martí  nez Palacios 《Aquaculture (Amsterdam, Netherlands)》1990,90(3-4):291-302

Chloroplastic and cytoplasmic alfalfa (Medicago sativa) leaf protein concentrates were tested as dietary replacements for fish meal in practical diets for tilapia fingerlings. Each concentrate was used to replace 15, 25, 35, 45 and 55% of the fish meal protein in diets containing 40% protein. Diets containing cytoplasmic leaf protein gave the best results, with growth rates higher than those obtained with a fish meal-based diet when the plant protein replaced up to 35% of the fish meal protein in the diet; higher inclusion levels of plant protein depressed growth. No mortalities were recorded during the 9-week test period with any of the experimental diets. It was concluded that the alfalfa leaf protein could be included at levels of up to 35% of the dietary protein in feeds for tilapia.  相似文献   

Boophilus microplus cathepsin L-like (BmCL1) cysteine protease: specificity study using a peptide phage display library     

Clara RO  Soares TS  Torquato RJ  Lima CA  Watanabe RO  Barros NM  Carmona AK  Masuda A  Vaz IS  Tanaka AS 《Veterinary parasitology》2011,181(2-4):291-300

The tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is one of the most important bovine ectoparasites, a disease vector responsible for losses in meat and milk productions. A cysteine protease similar to cathepsin L, named BmCL1, was previously identified in R. microplus gut, suggesting a role of the enzyme in meal digestion. In this work, BmCL1 was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris system, yielding 54.8 mg/L of culture and its activity was analyzed by synthetic substrates and against a R. microplus cysteine protease inhibitor, Bmcystatin. After rBmCl1 biochemical characterization it was used in a selection of a peptide phage library to determine rBmCL1 substrate preference. Obtained sequenced clones showed that rBmCL1 has preference for Leu or Arg at P(1) position. The preference for Leu at position P(1) and the activation of BmCL1 after a Leu amino acid residue suggest possible self activation.  相似文献