Prevalence And Intensity Of Haemoproteus Columbae In Three Species Of Wild Doves From Brazil.

The prevalence and intensity of blood parasites in three species of wild doves were studied in the municipality of Junqueirópolis, in the western region of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Three species of doves were surveyed: 331 specimens of Zenaida auriculata Des Murs, 1847, 62 specimens of Columbina talpacoti Temminck, 1811 and 57 specimens of Scardafella squammata Lesson, 1831. Haemoproteus columbae Kruse, 1890 was found in blood from all the doves species. The prevalence of this parasite was 100% in Z. auriculata, 51.6% in C. talpacoti and 19.3% in S. squammata. Specimens of Z. auriculata had a higher intensity of infection than the other doves species.96175-

Effects of Delivering Guanidinoacetic Acid or Its Prodrug to the Neural Tissue: Possible Relevance for Creatine Transporter Deficiency

The creatine precursor guanidinoacetate (GAA) was used as a dietary supplement in humans with no adverse events. Nevertheless, it has been suggested that GAA is epileptogenic or toxic to the nervous system. However, increased GAA content in rodents affected by guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT) deficiency might be responsible for their spared muscle function. Given these conflicting data, and lacking experimental evidence, we investigated whether GAA affected synaptic transmission in brain hippocampal slices. Incubation with 11.5 \ub5M GAA (the highest concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid of GAMT-deficient patients) did not change the postsynaptic compound action potential. Even 1 or 2 mM had no effect, while 4 mM caused a reversible decrease in the potential. Guanidinoacetate increased creatine and phosphocreatine, but not after blocking the creatine transporter (also used by GAA). In an attempt to allow the brain delivery of GAA when there was a creatine transporter deficiency, we synthesized diacetyl guanidinoacetic acid ethyl ester (diacetyl-GAAE), a lipophilic derivative. In brain slices, 0.1 mM did not cause electrophysiological changes and improved tissue viability after blockage of the creatine transporter. However, diacetyl-GAAE did not increase creatine nor phosphocreatine in brain slices after blockage of the creatine transporter. We conclude that: (1) upon acute administration, GAA is neither epileptogenic nor neurotoxic; (2) Diacetyl-GAAE improves tissue viability after blockage of the creatine transporter but not through an increase in creatine or phosphocreatine. Diacetyl-GAAE might give rise to a GAA\u2013phosphoGAA system that vicariates the missing creatine\u2013phosphocreatine system. Our in vitro data show that GAA supplementation may be safe in the short term, and that a lipophilic GAA prodrug may be useful in creatine transporter deficiency

Influence of detector motion in entanglement measurements with photons

We investigate how the polarization correlations of entangled photons described by wave packets are modified when measured by moving detectors. For this purpose, we analyze the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt Bell inequality as a function of the apparatus velocity. Our analysis is motivated by future experiments with entangled photons designed to use satellites. This is a first step towards the implementation of quantum information protocols in a global scale

Eimeria Curvata N. Sp.(apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) In Columbina Talpacoti And Scardafella Squammata (aves: Columbidae) From Brazil.

Eimeria curvata is a new coccidian described in the doves Columbina talpacoti and Scardafella squammata from western of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The oocysts are ovoid to ellipsoid, 18.3 (17-19) microm x 15.5 (15-17) microm, with a shape index of 1.2 (1.1-1.3). The wall is colorless, smooth and double-layered. A polar granule is present, but there is no micropyle or oocyst residuum. The sporocysts are elongate, 12.3 (11.5-13) microm x 5.8 (5.5-6) microm with a curved anterior portion and a smooth, thin, single-layered wall. The Stieda body is protuberant and nipple-like; there is no substieda body. The sporozoites lie head-to-tail in the sporocyst and contain a large refractile body at the extremities. The sporocyst residuum contains small granules uniformly distributed in the middle of the sporocyst. The prevalence of E. curvata n. sp. was 17.4% and 12.8% in C. talpacoti and S. squammata, respectively.9553-

Near surface mounted thecnique for the flexural and shear strengthening of concrete beams

The efficacies of the Near Surface Mounted and Externally Bonded Reinforcing techniques for the flexural and shear strengthening of reinforced concrete beams are compared. Both techniques are based on the use of carbon fiber reinforced polymer materials. In the present work the carried out tests are described and the main results are presented and analyzed.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - POCTI/ECM/59033/2004 - Program “CUTINSHEAR”.Degussa, Portugal.S&P.Unibetão (Braga)

Creatine salts provide neuroprotection even after partial impairment of the creatine transporter

open6Creatine, a compound that is critical for energy metabolism of nervous cells, crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the neuronal plasma membrane with difficulty, and only using its specific transporter. In the hereditary condition where the creatine transporter is defective (creatine transporter deficiency) there is no creatine in the brain, and administration of creatine is useless lacking the transporter. The disease is severe and incurable. Creatine-derived molecules that could cross BBB and plasma membrane independently of the transporter might be useful to cure this condition. Moreover, such molecules could be useful also in stroke and other brain ischemic conditions. In this paper, we investigated three creatine salts, creatine ascorbate, creatine gluconate and creatine glucose. Of these, creatine glucose was ineffective after transporter block with guanidine acetic acid (GPA) administration. Creatine ascorbate was not superior to creatine in increasing tissue creatine and phosphocreatine content after transporter impairment, however even after such impairment it delayed synaptic failure during anoxia. Finally, creatine gluconate was superior to creatine in increasing tissue content of creatine after transporter block and slowed down PS disappearance during anoxia, an effect that creatine did not have. These findings suggest that coupling creatine to molecules having a specific transporter may be a useful strategy in creatine transporter deficiency. In particular, creatine ascorbate has effects comparable to those of creatine in normal conditions, while being superior to it under conditions of missing or impaired creatine transporter.openAdriano, E; Garbati, P; Salis, A; Damonte, G; Millo, E; Balestrino, MAdriano, ENRICO GIOVANNI; Garbati, Patrizia; Salis, Annalisa; Damonte, Gianluca; Millo, Enrico; Balestrino, Maurizi

Distinct high-T transitions in underdoped Ba1−x_{1-x}Kx_{x}Fe2_{2}As2_{2}

In contrast to the simultaneous structural and magnetic first order phase transition $T_{0}$ previously reported, our detailed investigation on an underdoped Ba$_{0.84}$K$_{0.16}$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ single crystal unambiguously revealed that the transitions are not concomitant. The tetragonal ($\tau$: I4/mmm) - orthorhombic ($\vartheta$: Fmmm) structural transition occurs at $T_{S}\simeq$ 110 K, followed by an adjacent antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition at $T_{N}\simeq$ 102 K. Hysteresis and coexistence of the $\tau$ and $\vartheta$ phases over a finite temperature range observed in our NMR experiments confirm the first order character of the structural transition and provide evidence that both $T_{S}$ and $T_{N}$ are strongly correlated. Our data also show that superconductivity (SC) develops in the $\vartheta$ phase below $T_{c}$ = 20 K and coexists with long range AFM. This new observation, $T_{S}\neq T_{N}$, firmly establishes another similarity between the hole-doped BaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ via K substitution and the electron-doped iron-arsenide superconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

A large stellar evolution database for population synthesis studies. II. Stellar models and isochrones for an alpha-enhanced metal distribution

[Abridged] We present a large, new set of stellar evolution models and isochrones for an alpha-enhanced metal distribution typical of Galactic halo and bulge stars; it represents a homogeneous extension of our stellar model library for a distribution already presented in Pietrinferni et al.(2004). The effect of the alpha-element enhancement has been properly taken into account in the nuclear network, opacity, equation of state and, for the first time, the bolometric corrections, and color transformations. This allows us to avoid the inconsistent use - common to all alpha-enhanced model libraries currently available - of scaled-solar bolometric corrections and color transformations for alpha-enhanced models and isochrones. We show how bolometric corrections to magnitudes obtained for the U,B portion of stellar spectra for T_{eff}<=6500K, are significantly affected by the metal mixture, especially at the higher metallicities. We also provide complete sets of evolutionary models for low-mass, He-burning stellar structures covering the whole metallicity range, to enable synthetic horizontal branch simulations. We compare our database with several widely used stellar model libraries from different authors, as well as with various observed color magnitude and color-color diagrams (Johnson-Cousins BVI and near infrared magnitudes, Stromgren colors) of Galactic field stars and globular clusters. We also test our isochrones comparing integrated optical colors and Surface Brightness Fluctuation magnitudes with selected globular cluster data. We find a general satisfactory agreement with the empirical constraints.Comment: 46 pages, 20 figures, ApJ in press, the whole database presented in this paper can be foud at http://www.te.astro.it/BASTI/index.ph

Postharvest changes of fresh cilantro

IX Simpósio Ibérico de Maturação e Pós Colheita. Sessões PosterCilantro (Coriandrum sativum L.) has become one of the most widely used fresh herbs worldwide. In addition to its flavorful culinary attributes, cilantro has been promoted by public health authorities as partial replacement of dietary salt intake. The objective of this study was to characterize the postharvest behavior of fresh cilantro to provide recommendations for proper postharvest handling. Freshly harvested cilantro leaves were bunched into 50 g bunches held by a rubber band, wrapped in plastic, cooled to ca. 5 ºC and transported to the laboratory within 2 h after harvest. The leaf bunches were placed at 0º, 10º, and 20 ºC, and assessed for mass loss, ethylene production rate, respiration rate, color, and chlorophyll content. Hedonic assessment of appearance and odor were also performed. Under these experimental conditions, fresh mass declined at a rate of 1.1; 1.5; and 6.3% per day, at 0º, 10º and 20 ºC, respectively. Ethylene production rate remained stable during storage at 0º or 10 ºC, at 0.26 and 1.61 μL kg-1 h-1, respectively. At 20 ºC, the initial ethylene production rate of 4.04 μL kg-1 h-1 increased sharply after 4 days to reach 25.64 μL kg-1 h-1 at day 7 due to fungal development. The initial respiration rate, expressed in mL CO2 kg-1 h-1, was 7.7 at 0 ºC, 27.8 at 10 ºC and 114.1 at 20 ºC, and remained relatively stable during storage at 0 and 10 ºC. However, respiration rate double during 7 days at 20 ºC due to decay. The initial hue angle of cilantro leaflets was 124.7º, a value that remained relatively constant during 30 days at 0 ºC, but decreased slightly (2 to 3%) after 15 days at 10 ºC or 4 days at 20 ºC. The initial SPAD index of 42.2 decreased to 37.7 after 4 days at 20 ºC, to 35.6 after 15 days at 10 ºC and to 39.6 after 30 days at 0 ºC. Total chlorophyll content at harvest was 1.92 mg g-1 with a ratio of chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b of 3.2. Chlorophyll content decreased slightly at 10º and 20 ºC, mainly due to the reduction in chlorophyll b but remained unaltered during 30 days at 0 ºC. The duration of postharvest life based on appearance was 1.6; 7.3, and 11 days at 20º, 10º and 0 ºC, respectively. However, odor was judged at the sales limit after 1.0; 2.0; and 9.0 days at 20º, 10º, and 0 ºC, respectively. In conclusion, the main causes of shelf-life termination are odor suppression and fungal development. Wilting can be reduced by packaging and senescence-related chlorophyll loss and yellowing are slower than odor suppression. Freshness is best preserved at 0 ºCinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio