Desenvolvimento de novo método de análise de histamina, putrescina e cadaverina por CLAE utilizando derivatização com 6-aminoquinolil-n-hidroxisuccinimidil carbamato (AQC).

O consumo de alimentos fermentados, em especial peixe anchovado, pode ser extremamente prejudicial a algumas pessoas devido a possibilidade de intoxicação por altos níveis de histamina e outras aminas biogênicas formadas durante o processo de fermentação. Por esta razão, um rigoroso controle dos teores de aminas biogênicas nesses alimentos se faz necessário, de forma a garantir a sua segurança. Este trabalho mostra o desenvolvimento de uma nova metodologia analítica por CLAE para histamina, putrescina e cadaverina num mesmo ensaio, onde o resultado cromatográfico é obtido em apenas dez minutos, utilizando uma coluna de ultra eficiência, Kinetex, e um reagente que produz derivados altamente estáveis, o AQC, sem a necessidade de purificação antes da derivatização ou da injeção no cromatógrafo

Validation of the faunistic data on the genus Alebra Fieber, 1872 (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae) in the Iberian Peninsula and Madeira

Identification of Alebra leafhoppers is difficult because most species do not show specific differences in male genital structures. Colour pattern and host plant associations, the characters traditionally used in the recognition of these species, show considerable intraspecific variation. In the last decade, it was proved that the shape of male abdominal apodemes is the most reliable morphological character to separate species of this genus, and since then, some species have been splitted in two. To untangling the systematics of the European species it urges to revise data on host plants and distribution. For the Iberian Peninsula the actual species number was still uncertain because the taxonomic value of apodemes in Alebra was unknown when the faunistic records on this region were published. In this work it was analysed material from Spain, Portugal and the island of Madeira and three species were identified: A. albostriella (Fallén, 1826), A. coryli Le Quesne, 1976, new to the Iberian peninsula, and A. viridis Rey, 1894 sensu Gillham 1991, recorded for the first time to the fauna of Madeira and Spain.La identificación de cigarrillas del género Alebra es difícil porque la mayoría de las especies no presentan diferencias específicas en las estructuras genitales de los machos. Los patrones de color y la asociación a sus plantas huéspedes, caracteres tradicionalmente utilizados en la separación de estas especies, muestran una considerable variación intraespecífica. En la última década, se ha probado que la forma de los apodemas abdominales de los machos es el carácter morfológico más fiable para separar las especies de este género, y desde entonces, algunas especies han sido separadas en dos. Para esclarecer la sistemática de las especies europeas de este género, es necesario hacer una revisión urgente de los datos existentes sobre sus plantas huéspedes y distribución. En la Península Ibérica el número real de especies conocidas todavía era incierto porque el valor taxonómico de los apodemas en Alebra era desconocido cuando fueron publicados los datos faunísticos sobre esta región. En este trabajo se ha estudiado material de España, Portugal y la isla de Madeira y han sido identificadas tres especies: A. albostriella (Fallén, 1826), A. coryli Le Quesne, 1976, nueva cita para la Península Ibérica, y A. viridis Rey, 1897 sensu Gillham 1991, referida por primera vez para la fauna de Madeira y España.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

On the presence of some species of the genus Wagneriala Anufriev, 1970 (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae) in Spain and Greece

The genus Wagneriala includes small leafhoppers associated mainly to grasses. Four species are currently known ¡n Europe but only one of these, W. sinuata, is known from Spain and Greece. This work reports for the fírst time the presence of W. incisa and W. pahtstris in the Iberian Península and W. incisa in Greece. For these little known species it has been compilad information 011 food plant associations and distribution.El género Wagneriala incluye pequeñas cigarrillas associadas principalmente a gra míneas. Se conocen actualmente cuatro especies de este género en Europa pero sólo una de éstas, W. sinuata, es conocida en España y Grecia. Este trabajo cita por vez primera la presencia de W. incisa y W. pahtstris en la Península Ibérica y de W. incisa en Grecia. Para estas dos especies poco conocidas ha sido recopilada información sobre sus plantas nutricias y distribución.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Functional consequences of seven novel mutations in the CYP11B1 Gene: four mutations associated with nonclassic and three mutations causing classic 11 -Hydroxylase Deficiency

Context: Steroid 11β-hydroxylase (CYP11B1) deficiency (11OHD) is the second most common form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). Cases of nonclassic 11OHD are rare compared with the incidence of nonclassic 21-hydroxylase deficiency. Objective: The aim of the study was to analyze the functional consequences of seven novel CYP11B1 mutations (p.M88I, p.W116G, p.P159L, p.A165D, p.K254_A259del, p.R366C, p.T401A) found in three patients with classic 11OHD, two patients with nonclassic 11OHD, and three heterozygous carriers for CYP11B1 mutations. Methods: We conducted functional studies employing a COS7 cell in vitro expression system comparing wild-type (WT) and mutant CYP11B1 activity. Mutants were examined in a computational three-dimensional model of the CYP11B1 protein. Results: All mutations (p.W116G, p.A165D, p.K254_A259del) found in patients with classic 11OHD have absent or very little 11β-hydroxylase activity relative to WT. The mutations detected in patients with nonclassic 11OHD showed partial functional impairment, with one patient being homozygous (p.P159L; 25% of WT) and the other patient compound heterozygous for a novel mild p.M88I (40% of WT) and the known severe p.R383Q mutation. The two mutations detected in heterozygous carriers (p.R366C, p.T401A) also reduced CYP11B1 activity by 23 to 37%, respectively. Conclusion: Functional analysis results allow for the classification of novel CYP11B1 mutations as causative for classic and nonclassic 11OHD, respectively. Four partially inactivating mutations are predicted to result in nonclassic 11OHD. These findings double the number of mild CYP11B1 mutations previously described as associated with mild 11OHD. Our data are important to predict phenotypic expression and provide important information for clinical and genetic counseling i

Arboridia erecta (Ribaut, 1931) (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae), a new leafhopper to the fauna of the Iberian Peninsula, and data on the distribution of Arboridia parvula (Boheman, 1845)

The genus Arboridia comprises about fifteen species in Europe. Of these, only two species, A parvula and A. ribauti, had been recorded to Spain. This work reports Arboridia erecta for the first to the Iberian Peninsula. Food-plant associations, preferable habitats and data on distribution on the Northwest of Spain are provided for A. parvula and A. erecta.El género Arboridia comprende alrededor de quince especies en Europa. Sólo dos de ellas: A. parvula y A. ribauti, habían sido citadas para España. En este trabajo se cita por vez primera la presencia de Arboridia erecta en la Península Ibérica. Para esta especie y para A. parvula se dan datos sobre las plantas nutricias, hábitats preferenciales y distribución en el noroeste de España.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O contributo do projecto INTERFRUTA II para o desenvolvimento da fruticultura na ilha Terceira, Açores

13º Congresso da APDR (Associação Portuguesa para o Desenvolvimento Rural). Angra do Heroísmo, Julho de 2007.O Projecto Interfruta II é um projecto apoiado pelo programa Interreg III-B, desenvolvido nas Ilhas da Madeira, Tenerife (Canárias) e Terceira (Açores) destinado a contribuir para a promoção da fruticultura e viticultura nestas três regiões insulares, procurando uma melhoria dos conhecimentos sobre os problemas fitossanitários que afectam as macieiras, bananeiras, castanheiros e a vinha, aplicando técnicas que contribuam decisivamente para o conhecimento e procura de soluções, numa vertente de prospecção das pragas-chave, fauna auxiliar, doenças e vírus que afectam essas culturas. Destaca-se o facto de inicialmente se ter procedido à realização de 160 inquéritos aos produtores e ao levantamento e identificação, através de SIG, das áreas de produção frutícola da Ilha. Para a análise dos factores climáticos ao nível da parcela, foram instaladas nas três zonas em estudo, estações meteorológicas de leitura automática.ABSTRACT: The INTERFRUTA project is financed by the European Commission Interreg III-B Programme and was developed for the islands of Madeira, Tenerife and Terceira for the improvement of fruit and vineyard production in these three Atlantic regions. The project goal is a better knowledge of the phytossanitary problems that affect apples, bananas, chestnut and vineyards, applying methods that will contribute to solutions based on the survey of key pests, diseases and beneficial organisms. All these work began with a survey to 160 producers and those data permitted, applying GIS techniques to them to identify the Terceira island fruit and vineyard production areas. To register the climate conditions in each area studied fully automatic meteorological stations were put in each of the three studied areas

Developmental Programming of Obesity and Liver Metabolism by Maternal Perinatal Nutrition Involves the Melanocortin System

Maternal obesity predisposes offspring to metabolic dysfunction and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Melanocortin-4 receptor (Mc4r)-deficient mouse models exhibit obesity during adulthood. Here, we aim to determine the influence of the Mc4r gene on the liver of mice subjected to perinatal diet-induced obesity. Female mice heterozygous for Mc4r fed an obesogenic or a control diet for 5 weeks were mated with heterozygous males, with the same diet continued throughout pregnancy and lactation, generating four offspring groups: control wild type (C_wt), control knockout (C_KO), obese wild type (Ob_wt), and obese knockout (Ob_KO). At 21 days, offspring were genotyped, weaned onto a control diet, and sacrificed at 6 months old. Offspring phenotypic characteristics, plasma biochemical profile, liver histology, and hepatic gene expression were analyzed. Mc4r_ko offspring showed higher body, liver and adipose tissue weights respect to the wild type animals. Histological examination showed mild hepatic steatosis in offspring group C_KO. The expression of hepatic genes involved in regulating inflammation, fibrosis, and immune cell infiltration were upregulated by the absence of the Mc4r gene. These results demonstrate that maternal obesogenic feeding during the perinatal period programs offspring obesity development with involvement of the Mc4r system

Hauptidia lapidicola (Vidano 1964), first record for Spain and data on the Iberian distribution of Hauptidia maroccana (Melichar 1907)(Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)

Species of the genus Hauptidia are associated to herbaceous plants. In Spain only two species of this genus are known: H. distinguenda (Kirschbaum, 1868) and H. maroccana (Melichar, 1907). In the study of material from northern and southern Spain, a little known species was found: H. lapidicola (Vidano, 1964). This leafhopper, found so far only in Portugal and Italy, is a new record for the Spanish fauna. Data on distribution, ecology and host plants for this species and Hauptidia maroccana are given in this work.: Las especies del género Hauptidia se encuentran asociadas a plantas herbáceas. En España se conocen dos especies: H. distinguenda (Kirschbaum, 1868) y H. maroccana (Melichar, 1907). Estudiando material procedente del norte y sur de España se encontró una especie poco conocida, H. lapidicola (Vidano, 1964). Esta cigarrilla sólo se conocía de Portugal e Italia y se cita por primera vez para la fauna española. En este trabajo se aportan datos sobre la distribución, ecología y plantas huéspedes de Hauptida maroccana y H. lapidicola.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Sun-like star orbiting a boson star

The high-precision astrometric mission GAIA recently reported the remarkable discovery of a Sun-like star closely orbiting a dark object, with a semi-major axis and period of $1.4\, \rm{AU}$ and $187.8$ days respectively. While the plausible expectation for the central dark object is a black hole, the evolutionary mechanism leading to the formation of such a two-body system is highly challenging. Here, we challenge the scenario of a central black hole and show that the observed orbital dynamics can be explained under fairly general assumptions if the central dark object is a stable clump of bosonic particles of spin-0, or spin-1, known as a boson star. We further explain how future astrometric measurements of similar systems will provide an exciting opportunity to probe the fundamental nature of compact objects and test compact alternatives to black holes.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. Comments are very welcom

Discounting the effect of memory on repeated measures of beauty judgment

The intrinsic variance of beauty judgment is key to modeling beauty ratings. However, in repeated measures of beauty, observers surely make use of what they remember. To test how memory contributes to repeated beauty ratings, we asked participants to rate 75 arbitrarily named images (e.g., Fred). Initially, participants rated (1 to 7) how much beauty they felt from looking at a named image. Then participants completed two conditions. In the memory condition, participants saw only the name of an image and were asked to remember the image corresponding to that name and rate how much beauty they felt. In the repeat condition, they once again rated how much beauty they felt from looking at a named image. Lastly, in a memory check, participants tried to select which image was associated with a name. Only considering the correctly remembered trials (60%), we calculated the distribution of the differences between the initial beauty rating and that from either the memory condition or the repeat condition. The variance for the memory condition was more than double that of the repeat condition. Likewise, the initial beauty ratings predicted 84% of the variance in the repeat ratings but only 30% of the variance in the memory ratings. Cue combination studies report that observers typically combine cues by the optimal Bayesian rule: The combined reliability is the sum of the separate reliabilities for each cue, where reliability is one over variance. Assuming optimal combination of memory and immediate-perception judgment, we can discount the contribution of memory to estimate the variance of the immediate-perception judgment. Thus, in our paradigm the 0.83 variance of the repeated beauty rating corresponds to a 0.97 immediate-perception judgment variance (without memory). Overall, since there also was no significant difference in means, our results indicate that memory contributes little to repeated beauty ratings