Systems and processes for early detection of biological ammonia oxidation in water using fluorometry

This invention relates generally to a system and process for early detection of biological ammonia oxidation in water utilizing a fluorescence-based sensor and process. Various embodiments are configured to read increases in a fluorescence excitation-emission wavelength pair that is responsive to a period of time (days to weeks or even longer) prior to the onset of biological ammonia oxidation, which is considered to be a nitrification event. Fluorescence excitation/emission pairs that have proven to be reliable include a fluorescence excitation wavelength of about 230 nm and an emission wavelength of about 345 nm and an excitation wavelength of 325 and an emission wavelength of 470. The system and process enable drinking water utilities to improve management of its distribution systems and facilitate earlier corrective actions, resulting is less loss of treated water through flushing and other tangible benefits

ISOLATION OF BACILLUS SP. FROM ORGANIC VINEYARD SOIL AND EVALUATION OF ENTOMOPATHOGENIC POTENTIAL AGAINST ANASTREPHA FRATERCULUS LARVAE

Bacillus, insulation, entomopathogenic, AnThe viticulture is a farming activity of great economic importance, during the last decades there was a microbial diversity in these areas, and one of the groups of bacteria with higher diffusion is the Bacillus. In contrast one of the major pests of fruit trees of lump is to Anastrepha fraterculus, their combat occurs through several tracks. The objective of this work was to isolate, and check the activity entomopatogênica Bacillus gram-positive bacterium from soils of organic vineyard in larvae of Anastrepha fraterculus. Were collected 3 soil samples from organic vineyard, and from this were isolated Bacillus gram-positive bacterium with the presence of spores and crystals. After the selection were performed bioassays of pathogenicity in larvae of Anastrepha fraterculus. We used four treatments (T1=water, T2=Isolate BS-10S, T3=Isolate BS-8S and T4=Isolate BS-6S). In each treatment were placed 0.5 ml of growing end of each crop in disposable cups containing 50 mL of artificial diet and 10 larvae of second urges. After 48 hours in B.O.D at 25ºC, were counted the dead larvae. According to the results were obtained eight isolates of Bacillus, and three had similar morphology to gender sphaericus. The bacterium tested, the isolate BS-6S (5,67X109 CFU/mL) was the only one that presented itself to pathogenic larvae of Anastrepha fraterculus.Keywords - Bacillus, insulation, entomopathogenic, Anastrepha, viticulture

Water loss and chemical composition of cactus pear genotypes submitted to post-harvest storage periods

The objective of this study was to evaluate water loss and chemical composition of cactus pear genotypes submitted to post-harvest storage periods. The experimental design adopted was a the completely randomized, in a 3 × 5 factorial arrangement, with three cactus pear genotypes and five storage periods, and ten replications. The cactus pear genotypes [Doce, Baiana and Orelha de Elefante Mexicana (OEM)] were harvested after 2 years of cultivation under rainfed conditions, and stored in a ventilated shed (0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 days). The genotype Baiana showed greater water reduction in the stored cladodes when compared to the other genotypes. All cactus pear genotypes showed reduction in crude protein and carbohydrates in the storage period of 60 days. There were no losses of nutrients, dry matter and ether extract during the storage periods for the genotype Doce. There was increase in the fiber content of the cladodes of all stored genotypes. During the storage period of the cladodes of all genotypes, there was reduction in the contents of Ca, Mg and Cu. The cactus pear genotypes Doce and OEM can be stored for up to 60 days after harvest. Highlights: • Cactus is also considered a strategic forage reserve and, in this case, the frequency of cutting can vary according to the producer's needs and weather conditions.• Post-harvest storage can be an alternative to reduce costs, as well as transporting the material.• The variety Doce Baiana showed greater water loss in relation to the other varieties.The objective of this study was to evaluate water loss and chemical composition of cactus pear genotypes submitted to post-harvest storage periods. The experimental design adopted was a the completely randomized, in a 3 × 5 factorial arrangement, with three cactus pear genotypes and five storage periods, and ten replications. The cactus pear genotypes [Doce, Baiana and Orelha de Elefante Mexicana (OEM)] were harvested after 2 years of cultivation under rainfed conditions, and stored in a ventilated shed (0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 days). The genotype Baiana showed greater water reduction in the stored cladodes when compared to the other genotypes. All cactus pear genotypes showed reduction in crude protein and carbohydrates in the storage period of 60 days. There were no losses of nutrients, dry matter and ether extract during the storage periods for the genotype Doce. There was increase in the fiber content of the cladodes of all stored genotypes. During the storage period of the cladodes of all genotypes, there was reduction in the contents of Ca, Mg and Cu. The cactus pear genotypes Doce and OEM can be stored for up to 60 days after harvest. Highlights: • Cactus is also considered a strategic forage reserve and, in this case, the frequency of cutting can vary according to the producer's needs and weather conditions.• Post-harvest storage can be an alternative to reduce costs, as well as transporting the material.• The variety Doce Baiana showed greater water loss in relation to the other varieties

Calibration of the oxygen and clumped isotope thermometers for (proto-)dolomite based on synthetic and natural carbonates

Dolomite is a very common carbonate mineral in ancient sediments, but is rarely found in modern environments. Because of the difficulties in precipitating dolomite in the laboratory at low temperatures, the controls on its formation are still debated after more than two centuries of research. Two important parameters to constrain the environment of dolomitization are the temperature of formation and the oxygen isotope composition of the fluid from which it precipitated. Carbonate clumped isotopes (expressed with the parameter Δ47) are increasingly becoming the method of choice to obtain this information. However, whereas many clumped isotope studies treated dolomites the same way as calcite, some recent studies observed a different phosphoric acid fractionation for Δ47 during acid digestion of dolomite compared to calcite. This causes additional uncertainties in the Δ47 temperature estimates for dolomites analyzed in different laboratories using different acid digestion temperatures. To tackle this problem we present here a (proto-)dolomite-specific Δ47-temperature calibration from 25 to 1100 °C for an acid reaction temperature of 70 °C and anchored to widely available calcite standards. For the temperature range 25 to 220 °C we obtain a linear Δ47-T relationship based on 289 individual measurements with R2 of 0.864: [Formula presented] Tin Kelvin When including two isotopically scrambled dolomites at 1100 °C, the best fit is obtained with a third order polynomial temperature relationship (R2 = 0.924): [Formula presented]. Applying a calcite Δ47-T relationship produced under identical laboratory conditions results in 3 to 16 °C colder calculated formation temperatures for dolomites (with formation temperature from 0 to 100 °C) than using the (proto-)dolomite specific calibration presented here. For the synthetic samples formed between 70 and 220 °C we also determined the temperature dependence of the oxygen isotope fractionation relative to the water. Based on the similarity between our results and two other recent studies (Vasconcelos et al., 2005 and Horita, 2014) we propose that a combination of the three datasets represents the most robust calibration for (proto-)dolomite formed in a wide temperature range from 25 to 350 °C. 103αCaMg−carbonates−Water=2.9923±0.0557×[Formula presented]−2.3592±0.4116 Because of the uncertainties in the phosphoric acid oxygen and clumped isotope fractionation for (proto-)dolomite, we promote the use of three samples that are available in large amounts as possible inter-laboratory reference material for oxygen and clumped isotope measurements. A sample of the middle Triassic San Salvatore dolomite from southern Switzerland, the NIST SRM 88b dolomite standard already reported in other Δ47 studies and a lacustrine Pliocene dolomite from La Roda (Spain). This study demonstrates the necessity to apply (proto-)dolomite specific Δ47-T relationships for accurate temperature estimates of dolomite formation, ideally done at identical acid digestion temperatures to avoid additional uncertainties introduced by acid digestion temperature corrections. In addition, the simultaneous analyses of dolomite reference material will enable a much better comparison of published dolomite clumped and oxygen isotope data amongst different laboratories

AVALIAÇÃO DA QUALIDADE MICROBIOLÓGICA DE MILHOS BRANCO E AMARELO PARA PRODUÇÃO DE RAÇÃO ANIMAL

A produção do milho no Brasil iniciou por volta da década de 1970, porém em pequena escala. Como o milho é um cereal de grande valor energético tanto para a alimentação humana quanto animal, surgiu então, a necessidade de produção em larga escala. Nossa pesquisa tem como base analisar a qualidade microbiológica do milho utilizado como matéria-prima na produção de ração, com base em análise de Bacillus sp, Bolores e Leveduras, e Mesófilos de amostras de milho branco e milho amarelo. Foram coletadas amostras de milho branco e amarelo de um produtor rural com propriedade na cidade de Videira-SC. Os grãos foram transportadas para o Laboratório de Microbiologia da Universidade do Oeste de Santa Catarina – Videira. Para análise microbiológica foram realizadas contagens de Bacillus a 30°C, Mesófilos a 35°C, Bolores e leveduras a 25°C. Todas as análises foram realizadas em duplicatas. Todas as amostras apresentaram valores abaixo do permitido em relação aos parâmetros microbiológicos analisados. Conclui-se que as amostras indicativas estavam dentro dos padrões legais vigentes.Palavras-chave: Qualidade Microbiológica. Milho Branco. Milho Amarelo

Pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita moschata - Jacarezinho cultivar): characterization of the oil extracted by solvent and supercritical fluid and study of anti-parasitary activity / Sementes de abóbora (Cucurbita moschata - cultivar Jacarezinho): caracterização do óleo extraído por solvente e fluido supercrítico e estudo da atividade antiparasitária

The presence of many biologically active components makes pumpkins extremely attractive to the phytochemical manufacturing industry. Studies have demonstrated that the oil extracted from the seeds has different biological activities. This study aimed to determine the fatty acid composition and total tocopherol content of the pumpkin seed oil (Cucurbita moschata – Jacarezinho cultivar) extracted by supercritical carbon dioxide (Sc-CO2) and hexane/isopropanol. The fatty acids composition and content of total tocopherols were determined by GC, GC/FID, HPLC, respectively. We also evaluated in vitro schistosomicidal activities of the crude oil, which have been described with anti-parasitic activities. Sc-CO2 extracted pumpkin seed oil, with a maximum yield of 24.3 ± 0.4%, much higher than hexane/isopropanol extraction (8.3 ± 2.7%). Was not observe differences between the non-polar compounds present in the oil extracted by both methods. In the seed oil, unsaturated acids are dominant (oleic and linoleic). The results indicate that the oil has an excellent quality, with high contents of unsaturated fatty acids (73% of total fatty acids) and total tocopherols (14 mg100g-1 of oil). Although popularly reported as anti-parasitic activities caused no mortality, tegumental alterations or significant decrease in motor activity in all adult parasites. Sc-CO2 was able to extract pumpkin seed oil with a much higher yield than extraction with hexane/isopropanol and no differences were observe between the non-polar compounds present in the oil extracted by both methods. The oil is popularly used as an antiparasitic agent but in this study did not show antiparasitary actividies

Fluorescence-Based Flow Sorting in Parallel with Transposon Insertion Site Sequencing Identifies Multidrug Efflux Systems in Acinetobacter baumannii

Multidrug efflux pumps provide clinically significant levels of drug resistance in a number of Gram-negative hospital-acquired pathogens. These pathogens frequently carry dozens of genes encoding putative multidrug efflux pumps. However, it can be difficult to determine how many of these pumps actually mediate antimicrobial efflux, and it can be even more challenging to identify the regulatory proteins that control expression of these pumps. In this study, we developed an innovative high-throughput screening method, combining transposon insertion sequencing and cell sorting methods (TraDISort), to identify the genes encoding major multidrug efflux pumps, regulators, and other factors that may affect the permeation of antimicrobials, using the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii. A dense library of more than 100,000 unique transposon insertion mutants was treated with ethidium bromide, a common substrate of multidrug efflux pumps that is differentially fluorescent inside and outside the bacterial cytoplasm. Populations of cells displaying aberrant accumulations of ethidium were physically enriched using fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and the genomic locations of transposon insertions within these strains were determined using transposon-directed insertion sequencing. The relative abundance of mutants in the input pool compared to the selected mutant pools indicated that the AdeABC, AdeIJK, and AmvA efflux pumps are the major ethidium efflux systems in A. baumannii. Furthermore, the method identified a new transcriptional regulator that controls expression of amvA. In addition to the identification of efflux pumps and their regulators, TraDISort identified genes that are likely to control cell division, cell morphology, or aggregation in A. baumannii. IMPORTANCE Transposon-directed insertion sequencing (TraDIS) and related technologies have emerged as powerful methods to identify genes required for bacterial survival or competitive fitness under various selective conditions. We applied fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to physically enrich for phenotypes of interest within a mutant population prior to TraDIS. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a physical selection method has been applied in parallel with TraDIS rather than a fitness-induced selection. The results demonstrate the feasibility of this combined approach to generate significant results and highlight the major multidrug efflux pumps encoded in an important pathogen. This FACS-based approach, TraDISort, could have a range of future applications, including the characterization of efflux pump inhibitors, the identification of regulatory factors controlling gene or protein expression using fluorescent reporters, and the identification of genes involved in cell replication, morphology, and aggregation

Soberania alimentar: proposta da via campesina para o sistema agroalimentar / Food sovereignty: via campesina’s proposal for the agro-food system

O enfrentamento ao problema de insegurança alimentar requer o reconhecimento de que o atual sistema agroalimentar não tem garantido acesso, disponibilidade e qualidade de alimentos. Contrariamente, este modelo contribui a uma série de problemas, como impactos ambientais (aquecimento global, esgotamento de recursos hídricos e da biodiversidade), assim como problemas sociais (agravamento da fome, êxodo e perda de autonomia das populações camponesas). Neste contexto, os movimentos sociais camponeses vem amadurecendo, desde o surgimento da Via Campesina Internacional, a proposta de soberania alimentar que contrapõe a proposta predominante de desenvolvimento e afirma que cada povo tem o direito de definir suas próprias políticas agrícolas e alimentares. Este trabalho analisa a proposta de soberania alimentar da Via Campesina, bem como fatores que afetam a sua consolidação e as consequências geradas. Ao final, discute-se a proposta dos camponeses para um outro sistema agroalimentar

Seeing the forest through many trees: multi-taxon patterns of phylogenetic diversity in the Atlantic Forest hotspot

We combine phylogenetic and point locality data from selected lineages of the Atlantic Forest flora and fauna to compare spatial patterns of biodiversity sustained by the current configuration of forest remnants to a scenario of complete forest preservation. We then ask the question "how much biodiversity is likely lost, already"? Specifically, we assess how habitat loss likely impacted the climatic spaces occupied by the local species, the inferred composition of local communities and the spatial distribution of phylogenetic diversity and endemism