Effects of carbon source, carbon concentration and culture conditions on in vitro rooting of Pinus pinea L. microshoots

In stone pine (Pinus pinea L.), clonal propagation via adventitious shoot formation from cotyledons has been reported before but rooting of these shoots is poor. The number of rooted shoots had low frequency limiting the used of micropropagation protocols as a choice for mass propagation of superior genotypes. Therefore the main objective of the present work was to increase the number and quality of roots per shoot in order to ensure the survival and growth of a great number of plants in the acclimation phase. To achieve this, different combinations of carbon source (sucrose or glucose) at different concentrations, under different environmental conditions (temperature and light), were tested in the induction and expression phases of the adventitious root formation. Shoots of different clones obtained via organogenesis have been employed for the experiments. Observations were made on the rooting percentage, root length and number of roots per shoot. The results showed a general increased of the number of roots per shoot and an earlier root formation when glucose was used as a carbon source. However, there were no differences in the percentage of rooting between the carbons sources tested. The best results were obtained using 0.117 M of glucose and dark treatment combined with 19°C during the induction phase of the rhizogenic process. Light and low sugar concentration proved to be beneficial for the expression phase, increasing the root length. A remarkable interclonal difference in the ability to form roots was observed. It was possible to obtain a rooting percentage of more than 75% in several of the tested clones

Hierarchical Virtual Screening of Potential Insectides Inhibitors of Acetylcholinesterase and Juvenile Hormone from Temephos

Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762; Diptera: Culicidae) is the main vector transmitting viral diseases such as dengue fever, dengue haemorrhagic fever, urban yellow fever, zika and chikungunya. Worldwide, especially in the Americas and Brazil, many cases of dengue have been reported in recent years, which have shown significant growth. The main control strategy is the elimination of the vector, carried out through various education programs, to change human habits, but the most usual is biological control, together with environmental management and chemical control. The most commonly insecticide used is temephos (an organophosphorus compound), but Aedes aegypti populations have shown resistance and the product is highly toxic, so we chose it as a template molecule to perform a ligand-based virtual screening in the ChemBrigde (DIVERSet-CL subcollection) database, searching for derivatives with similarity in shape (ROCS) and electrostatic potential (EON). Thus, fourty-five molecules were filtered based on their pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties and 11 molecules were selected by a molecular docking study, including binding affinity and mode of interaction. The L46, L66 and L68 molecules show potential inhibitory activity for both the insect (-9.28, -10.08 and -6.78 kcal/mol, respectively) and human (-6.05, 6.25 and 7.2 kcal/mol respectively) enzymes, as well as the juvenile hormone protein (-9.2; -10.96 and -8.16 kcal/mol, respectively), showing a significant difference in comparison to the template molecule temephos. Molecules L46, L66 and L68 interacted with important amino acids at each catalytic site of the enzyme reported in the literature. Thus, the molecules here investigated are potential inhibitors for both the acetylcholinesterase enzymes and juvenile hormone protein–from insect and humans, characterizing them as a potential insecticide against the Aedes aegypti mosquito

Avaliação do desempenho de custo e prazo de obras civis: estudo de caso em uma obra de macrodrenagem de UFV

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro Tecnológico. Engenharia Civil.Investimentos em energia fotovoltaica estão crescendo expressivamente nos últimos anos no Brasil. Diante disso, tratando-se de geração centralizada, tem-se o sistema de drenagem, liderando as atividades complexas na implementação de usinas fotovoltaicas. Em consoante, o setor da construção civil apresenta problemas associados à recorrência de desvios de prazo e custo nos empreendimentos. Dada a complexidade e problemas de execução da construção civil, e o aumento em investimento em UFV, o presente trabalho objetiva avaliar o desempenho de custo de uma obra de macrodrenagem através da ferramenta de gestão valor agregado, e identificar possíveis fatores geradores das variações de custo e cronograma da obra em relação ao previsto x realizado. No estudo de caso, observou-se que eventos externos, tais como, precipitações além do esperado e a alta da inflação foram os possíveis fatores que influenciaram o desempenho da obra.Photovoltaic energy investments has been growing significantly in the last years, in Brazil. Therefore, in the case of centralized generation, there is the drainage system, leading the implementation activities of photovoltaic plants. Correspondingly, the construction sector has problems associated with the repetition of time and cost deviations in projects. From the complexity of factors and problems in the execution of civil construction, and the increase in investment in the photovoltaic plants, the present work aims to evaluate the cost performance of a macrodrainage work through the earned value analysis management tool, and also aims to identify possible cost and schedule variations, in relation to what was planned x what was performed. In this case study, it was realized that external events, such as above than expected rainfall and high correction were the factors that affected the performance of the work

Fatores associados à não realização de pré-natal em município de grande porte

OBJETIVO Analisar os fatores associados à ausência de realização de pré-natal em município de grande porte. MÉTODOS Estudo caso-controle, pareado por idade, com 716 mulheres, das quais 179 não realizaram o pré-natal e 537 o realizaram (controles), identificadas por meio do Sistema Nacional de Informação sobre Nascidos Vivos, do município de Pelotas, RS, entre 2009 e 2010. Realizou-se análise múltipla por regressão logística condicional para estimar as odds ratios (OR). RESULTADOS No modelo final, as variáveis que mostraram associação com a não realização de pré-natal foram: ter menor escolaridade, especialmente menos de quatro anos de estudo (OR 4,46; IC95% 1,92;10,36), ser solteira (OR 3,61; IC95% 1,85;7,04) e ser multípara (OR 2,89; IC95% 1,72;4,85). A prevalência de não realização de pré-natal por região administrativa variou de 3,9% a 0,7%. CONCLUSÕES Os fatores de risco encontrados devem ser considerados no planejamento de ações para a inclusão das mulheres no pré-natal, tanto pela gestão central quanto pelas equipes de saúde, e indicaram as regiões do município com maiores déficits na captação de pré-natal. A reorganização das ações para identificar as mulheres com esses fatores de risco na comunidade pode ser considerada o ponto inicial desse processo. É necessário ainda integrar as atividades entre programas locais que atuam sobre o grupo materno-infantil para a busca constante das gestantes sem atendimento.OBJECTIVE To analyze the factors associated with a lack of prenatal care in a large municipality in southern Brazil. METHODS In this case-control age-matched study, 716 women were evaluated; of these, 179 did not receive prenatal care and 537 received prenatal care (controls). These women were identified using the Sistema Nacional de Informação sobre Nascidos Vivos (Live Birth Information System) of Pelotas, RS, Southern Brazil, between 2009 and 2010. Multivariate analysis was performed using conditional logistic regression to estimate the odds ratios (OR). RESULTS In the final model, the variables associated with a lack of prenatal care were the level of education, particularly when it was lesser than four years [OR 4.46; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.92;10.36], being single (OR 3.61; 95%CI 1.85;7.04), and multiparity (OR 2.89; 95%CI 1.72;4.85). The prevalence of a lack of prenatal care among administrative regions varied between 0.7% and 3.9%. CONCLUSIONS The risk factors identified must be considered when planning actions for the inclusion of women in prenatal care by both the central management and healthcare teams. These indicated the municipal areas with greater deficits in prenatal care. The reorganization of the actions to identify women with risk factors in the community can be considered to be a starting point of this process. In addition, the integration of the activities of local programs that target the mother and child is essential to constantly identify pregnant women without prenatal care

Chitosan/carrageenan nanoparticles: effect of cross-linking with tripolyphosphate

Chitosan/carrageenan/tripolyphosphate nanoparticles were prepared by polyelectrolyte complexation/ionic gelation, the latter compound acting as cross-linker. The incorporation of the three components in the nanoparticle matrix was assessed by analytical techniques (FTIR, XPS and TOF-SIMS). Using chitosan/carrageenan nanoparticles as control, the effect of the cross-linker in the particles properties was studied. A decrease in size (from 450-500 nm to 150-300 nm) and in zeta potential (from +75 - +85 mV to +50 - +60 mV), and an increase in production yield (from 15-20% to 25-35%), and in stability (from one week to up to 9 months) were observed. Also, a correlation between positive to negative charge ratios in the formulations and the above characteristics was established. The small size and high positive surface charge make the developed chitosan/carrageenan/tripolyphosphate nanoparticles potential tools for an application in mucosal delivery of macromolecules

Forensic Genetics as a Tool for Peace and Justice: An Overview on DNA Quantification

In Forensic Genetics, DNA analysis is performed to obtain a Short Tandem Repeat (STR) profile from an evidence sample, which is then compared with the victim and suspect(s) reference sample STR profile, to determine their contribution to that evidence sample. However, forensic biological samples can be present in low quantities and be exposed to different environmental insults leading to DNA degradation and contamination by inhibitor compounds. Thus, it is desirable for a forensic scientist to have useful information about the forensic sample quantity and quality prior to STR amplification. New methods in Forensic DNA analysis for detecting, preserving, and quantifying DNA, as well as its recovery from different biological materials are continually being developed. Real-Time PCR (RT-PCR) assays for DNA quantification, like the recent Quantifiler® Duo DNA quantification kit (Applied Biosystems) proved to be very useful in forensic samples. Since many samples, mainly those resulting from sexual assault cases are often composed by unbalanced male/female DNA mixtures, the knew RT-PCR quantification assay, developed to quantify relative male/ female DNA ratio contributes not only to total DNA determination but also to ascertain the presence and quantity of enough male DNA in the sample. These results are important to guide the optimal STR analysis selection, such as autosomal STR, Y-STR, or mini-STR, increasing downstream analysis success rates. In this work we present real forensic casework where the DNA amount and quality were important to guide the selection of the appropriate STR amplification kit in order to increase the success of profiling in the first attempt, reducing the number of samples that need to be reprocessed and thereby decreasing the turn around time in a forensic laboratory.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Inhalable fucoidan microparticles combining two antitubercular drugs with potential application in pulmonary tuberculosis therapy

The pulmonary delivery of antitubercular drugs is a promising approach to treat lung tuberculosis. This strategy not only allows targeting the infected organ instantly, it can also reduce the systemic adverse effects of the antibiotics. In light of that, this work aimed at producing fucoidan-based inhalable microparticles that are able to associate a combination of two first-line antitubercular drugs in a single formulation. Fucoidan is a polysaccharide composed of chemical units that have been reported to be specifically recognised by alveolar macrophages (the hosts of Mycobacterium). Inhalable fucoidan microparticles were successfully produced, effectively associating isoniazid (97%) and rifabutin (95%) simultaneously. Furthermore, the produced microparticles presented adequate aerodynamic properties for pulmonary delivery with potential to reach the respiratory zone, with a mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) between 3.6-3.9 mu m. The formulation evidenced no cytotoxic effects on lung epithelial cells (A549), although mild toxicity was observed on macrophage-differentiated THP-1 cells at the highest tested concentration (1 mg/mL). Fucoidan microparticles also exhibited a propensity to be captured by macrophages in a dose-dependent manner, as well as an ability to activate the target cells. Furthermore, drug-loaded microparticles effectively inhibited mycobacterial growth in vitro. Thus, the produced fucoidan microparticles are considered to hold potential as pulmonary delivery systems for the treatment of tuberculosis.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology [PTDC/DTP-FTO/0094/2012, UID/Multi/04326/2013, UID/BIM/04773/2013]; CAPES-Brazil [BEX 1168/13-4