Fitotoxicidade de alternativas herbicidas para a cultura do tomate para processamento industrial.

Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar a fitotoxicidade de alternativas herbicidas para a cultura do tomate industrial

Identification of GABA receptor genes and evidence of GABA signaling during embryogenesis of the sea urchin

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system and acts via ionotropic (GABAA-Rs) and metabotropic (GABAB-Rs) receptors. GABAA-Rs are Cl- selective hetero-pentameric channels assembled by combinations of 19 distinct gene products. Instead, GABAB-Rs are bi-subunit G-protein coupled receptors linked to K+ or Ca2+ channels. Dysfunctions of GABA-signaling (GS) cause psychotic disorders and correlate with epigenetic alterations, such as over-expression of DNA methyl transferase-1 which in turn imposes iper-methylation of GABA-regulated genes. The sea urchin embryo, which presents a rudimentary nervous system, offers a big opportunity to study the GS and its potential epigenetic implications in a simple eukaryote model. To this purpose, we performed a comprehensive in silico analysis of the sea urchin genome and identified a 450 Kb long cluster containing two genes encoding for the GABAB-R subunits, and two genes respectively encoding for a \u3b1/\u3b3/\u3b5-type and a \u3b2/\u3c1/\u3b4/\u3c4/\u3c0-type GABA B A-R subunit. From an evolutionary perspective, this result revealed a unique genomic organization of these genes in sea urchin. Next, to preliminarily evaluate the role of GS during development, Paracentrotus lividus embryos were cultured in the presence of GABA at concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 1.0 mM. Compared to controls, treated embryos showed aberrations in axial patterning, with a dose-dependent effect. In particular, at 48 hours post-fertilization control embryos were normal bilateral symmetric plutei whereas GABA-treated embryos displayed a radial organization with supranumerary spicules. Washout experiments allowed to determine that the period of sensitivity is restricted from the blastula to the gastrula stage. Altogether, these results suggest that dysregulation of GS affects the polarization of the ectoderm. Although preliminary, this study provide the first evidence of GS activity during development of echinoderms

Antifungals, arthropods and antifungal resistance prevention: lessons from ecological interactions

Arthropods can produce a wide range of antifungal compounds, including specialist proteins, cuticular products, venoms and haemolymphs. In spite of this, many arthropod taxa, particularly eusocial insects, make use of additional antifungal compounds derived from their mutualistic association with microbes. Because multiple taxa have evolved such mutualisms, it must be assumed that, under certain ecological circumstances, natural selection has favoured them over those relying upon endogenous antifungal compound production. Further, such associations have been shown to persist versus specific pathogenic fungal antagonists for more than 50 million years, suggesting that compounds employed have retained efficacy in spite of the pathogens' capacity to develop resistance. We provide a brief overview of antifungal compounds in the arthropods' armoury, proposing a conceptual model to suggest why their use remains so successful. Fundamental concepts embedded within such a model may suggest strategies by which to reduce the rise of antifungal resistance within the clinical milieu

Open orbifold Gromov-Witten invariants of [C^3/Z_n]: localization and mirror symmetry

We develop a mathematical framework for the computation of open orbifold Gromov-Witten invariants of [C^3/Z_n], and provide extensive checks with predictions from open string mirror symmetry. To this aim we set up a computation of open string invariants in the spirit of Katz-Liu, defining them by localization. The orbifold is viewed as an open chart of a global quotient of the resolved conifold, and the Lagrangian as the fixed locus of an appropriate anti-holomorphic involution. We consider two main applications of the formalism. After warming up with the simpler example of [C^3/Z_3], where we verify physical predictions of Bouchard, Klemm, Marino and Pasquetti, the main object of our study is the richer case of [C^3/Z_4], where two different choices are allowed for the Lagrangian. For one choice, we make numerical checks to confirm the B-model predictions; for the other, we prove a mirror theorem for orbifold disc invariants, match a large number of annulus invariants, and give mirror symmetry predictions for open string invariants of genus \leq 2.Comment: 44 pages + appendices; v2: exposition improved, misprints corrected, version to appear on Selecta Mathematica; v3: last minute mistake found and fixed for the symmetric brane setup of [C^3/Z_4]; in pres

Manejo químico de plantas daninhas tolerantes ao glyphosate em algodoeiro roundup ready flex

Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar o controle de plantas daninhas tolerantes ao glyphosate por meio de diferentes sistemas de manejo químico em algodoeiro Roundup Ready Flex (RF). O experimento está sendo conduzido na área experimental do Instituto Mato-grossense do Algodão localizada no município de Sorriso-MT. A semeadura do algodoeiro cv. IMA 5675BG2RF foi realizada no espaçamento entrelinhas de 0,90 m com população de 90.000 plantas ha -1 . Os tratamentos foram constituidos pela aplicação de glyphosate (1.080 g e.a. ha -1 ), pyrithiobac-sodium (50,4 g i..a. ha -1 ) e trifloxysulfuron-sodium (3,75 g i.a. ha -1 ) em pós-emergência, de forma isolada ou associada aos 15, 35 e 55 dias após a semeadura (DAS) da cultura. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos completos casualizados, com três repetições. Aos 40 dias após a terceira aplicação em pósemergência, avaliaram-se variáveis relacionadas à fitotoxicidade (escala EWRC) dos tratamentos às plantas de algodoeiro e a porcentagem de controle das plantas (Euphorbia heterophylla, Richardia brasiliensis, Alternanthera tenella e Eleusine indica), por meio de notas visuais de 0 a 100%, em que zero representa ausência de injúrias e 100 a morte das plantas. Três aplicações de glyphosate realizadas aos 15, 35 e 55 DAS do algodoeiro RF apresentam controle satisfatório de todas as espécies infestantes, assim como a aplicação de glyphosate + trifloxysulfuron-sodium aos 15 DAS seguido de glyphosate aos 35 DAS e as associações glyphosate + pyrithiobac-sodium, glyphosate + trifloxysulfuron-sodium e pyrithiobac-sodium + trifloxysulfuron-sodium aplicadas aos 15 DAS seguidas de glyphosate aos 55 DAS. A associação tripla glyphosate + pyrithiobac-sodium + trifloxysulfuron-sodium aplicada aos 35 DAS proporciona excelente controle das plantas daninhas estudas após a aplicação de glyphosate isolado ou pyrithiobac-sodium + trifloxysulfuron-sodium aos 15 DAS

Variations between foundation-level recordings and free-field earthquake ground motions: numerical study at soft-soil sites

Abstract It is typically assumed that accelerograms obtained from ground motion recording instruments adequately installed inside a building can be considered as representative of free-field conditions if the structure is less than 2-3 storeys high and does not feature a basement or a massive foundation system. In this work, such an assumption is verified through nonlinear soil-block finite element analyses, considering the induced seismicity Groningen gas field as a case-study and both types of structures. The capability of the numerical model in adequately reproducing nonlinear soil response and capturing interaction between soil and structure is first verified through a number of analyses and cross-checks. Considering soil profiles at the locations of different recording stations in the Groningen field, together with accelerograms from recent events in the region, the results obtained with the numerical model confirm that recordings from instruments located at the base of lightweight structures are not affected by Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) effects, neither kinematic nor inertial. Heavy structures with a basement, however, do exhibit recordings with variations with respect to the free-field; these are identified and possible corrections to the recordings are analysed. Another set of analyses then demonstrates that soil consolidation prior to the construction of lightweight structures resting on shallow foundations may instead lead to foundation-level recordings that feature high-frequency ground motion amplitudes slightly lower than their free-field counterparts. Additional simplified analyses show the dependency of the recordings on inertial SSI effects due to deformability of the ground supporting the structure