Showing papers by "Universidade Estadual de Londrina published in 1996"

Veratryl alcohol as an inducer of laccase by an ascomycete, Botryosphaeria sp., when screened on the polymeric dye Poly R-478

Abstract: Forty fungi isolated from diverse environments in Western Australia were screened for ligninolytic activity based on in-vivo decolorization of the polymeric dye Poly R-478. Three isolates identified as Aspergillus, Botryosphaeria and Coniochaeta species were selected for further studies. The Botryosphaeria and Coniochaeta isolates were found to produce laccase constitutively in submerged culture when grown on glucose, or on ryegrass seed by solid state fermentation. A comparison of the three isolates grown on glucose in the presence of 3,4-dimethoxybenzyl (veratryl) alcohol (40 mmol 1−1) showed that only the Botryosphaeria isolate produced laccase, with laccase activities 115-fold higher than when grown on glucose alone.

The natural occurrence of fumonisins in Brazilian corn kernels

Abstract: Since animal intoxication related to corn-based feed is frequently observed in the State of Parana, Brazil, natural contamination by fumonisins in 48 corn samples (39 from the State of Parana, and 9 from the Brazilian tropical states, Mato Grosso do Sul and Goias) harvested in 1990-1991 was investigated, along with fungal flora. The total mould count ranged from 6.3 x 10(2) to 5.5 x 10(7) cfu/g, and Fusarium moniliforme and Aspergillus species belonging to section Flavi were detected in 41 and 33 samples, respectively. Regarding the samples from the State of Parana, F. moniliforme was present in 33 samples at a count of 1.0 x 10(2) to 1.6 x 10(7) cfu/g and Aspergillus spp. in section Flavi in 27 samples at 1.0 x 10(2) to 1.0 x 10(6) cfu/g. HPLC analysis of fumonisins in the corn showed that fumonisins B1 (FB1) and B2 (FB2) were positive for 97.4% and 94.8% of samples respectively. All the corn from North Parana was positive for fumonisins, with average FB1 levels of 4.79 micrograms/g and average FB2 levels of 3.95 micrograms/g: the Central-West region had average levels of 3.30 and 2.52 micrograms/g, and the Central-East had average of 3.25 and 2.34 micrograms/g, respectively. Except for one negative sample all the corn samples from the Central Region were positive for fumonisins, averaging FB1 levels being 5.45 micrograms/g and FB2 levels being 5.09 micrograms/g. Out of eight samples from the tropical state of Mato Grosso do Sul, F. moniliforme was detected in seven and Aspergillus spp. in section Flavi in five samples with average FB1 levels of 10.59 micrograms/g and average for FB2 levels of 10.31 micrograms/g. The samples from Goias were also contaminated with these two fungi, with the FB1 contamination being 5.83 and the FB2 contamination 3.62 micrograms/g.

Characterization of human rotavirus genotype P[8]G5 from Brazil by probe-hybridization and sequence.

Abstract: We report the molecular characterization of rotavirus genotype P[8]G5 strains found in fecal specimens collected in four different regions of Brazil, using digoxigenin (dig)-labeled oligonucleotide probes, sequence analysis, and RNA-RNA hybridization. The closest sequence relationships of the neutralization antigens of these strains were to the VP4 protein of P1A[8]G1 strain KU (93.3% identity in amino acids 11 to 282) and to the VP7 protein of G serotype 5 strain OSU (87.6% identity in amino acids 8 to 232). Based on VP7 sequence differences, we designed dig-probes that allowed us to discriminate porcine OSU-like strains from G5 strains isolated from Brazilian infants. The genetic relationships of two P[8]G5 isolates to other rotavirus genogroups were analyzed by RNA-RNA hybridization with [32P]-GTP probes representative of serotypes P1A[8]G1 (Wa), P[8]G3 (AU17), and P9[7]G5 (OSU). The Brazilian P[8]G5 strains showed sequence homology with genes of Wa-like and OSU-like strains, suggesting that these two strains were naturally occurring reassortants between members of the Wa and porcine rotavirus genogroups. The identification of these strains in diverse geographic areas of Brazil underscores their stability and demonstrates the emergence of clinically important rotavirus diarrhea strains by reassortment.

Observação participante: uma abordagem metodológica para a psicologia escolar

Abstract: Normal 0 21 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 O proposito deste trabalho e discutir a observacao participante como uma metodologia apropriada para o trabalho do psicologo escolar. Nos consideramos a escola como uma construcao social circunscrita pelas representacoes sociais dos agentes que participam de seu dia a dia. A observacao participante permite ao psicologo pesquisar as estruturas das relacoes sociais e oferecer solucoes alternativas para os problemas emergentes na realizacao das metas da escola. Portanto, o trabalho do psicologo deve ser o de compreender as representacoes sociais dos segmentos sociais da escola no sentido de desvelar as contradicoes implicitas nas relacoes escolares rotineiras.

Chromosome studies in some Stevia. Cav. (Compositae) species from Southern Brazil

Abstract: Karyotypes of six species of the genus Stevia from Southern Brazil were studied, utilizing root tip metaphases. All species were diploid with 2n = 22 chromosomes. It was possible to identify each species by chromosome morphology. The basic chromosome number for Brazilian species of Stevia is X = 11. This number is also found in almost all South American species. We suggest that in Stevia there is an evolutionary trend toward chromosomal rearrangement, caused mainly by pericentric inversions. It was found that, in addition to aneuploidy and polyploidy, chromosomal rearrangements are common in the tribe Eupatorieae.

Dust colors, dust release rates, and dust-to-gas ratios in the comae of six comets

Abstract: In an attempt to find correlations between properties of comets, we determine the dust colors, dust release rates, and dust-to-gas mass ratios in the comae of Comets Bowell (1980 b = 1982 I), Bradfield (1979 l = 1979 X), Brorsen-Metcalf (1989 o = 1989 X), Giacobini-Zinner (1984 e = 1985 XIII), Levy (1990 c = 1990 XX), and Stephan-Oterma (1980 g = 1980 X) using a uniform and systematic analysis of the continuum fluxes measured at optical wavelengths. We assume that the continuum fluxes observed in these comets are from light scattered by micrometer-sized dust particles. The color of the dust is blue, relative to the Sun, in Comets Bradfield (1979 X) and Brorsen-Metcalf (1989 X); both comets have a low dust-to-gas mass ratio (). Comets Giacobini-Zinner (1985 XIII) and Stephan-Oterma (1980 X) have an intermediate dust-to-gas mass ratio (), whereas Comets Levy (1990 XX) and Bowell (1982 I) have a high dust-to-gas mass ratio (). The continuum flux from dust particles in comets with intermediate to high dust-to-gas mass ratios is in general red, relative to the Sun. However, the color changes to blue in these comets when the dust-to-gas mass ratios are low relative to their peak values.

Atividade alimentar de espécies de peixe do rio Tibagi, relacionada com o desenvolvimento de gordura e das gônadas

Abstract: The fish assemblage in a stretch of Tibagi river was studied during the period of one year, throught monthly sampling. It was observed that four fish species (Schizodon intermedius Garavello & Britski, 1990, Acestrorhynchus lacustris Reinhardt, 1874, Pimelodus maculatus Lacepede, 1803 and Steindachnerina insculpta Fernandez-Yepez, 1948) were very frequent and they represent all the main trophic groups. In order to characterize feeding activity, fat storage and reproduction the means degree of repletion, fat and maturation, obtained for each species in each month were compared among the four fish species. Steindachnerina insculpta, a detritivovous species was the one with the highest feeding activity while A. lacustris, a piscivorous fish, showed the lowest feeding activity. For these two species it was clearly observed a sequence of events: higher feeding activity followed by higher fat storage followed by reproduction, that was not observed for P. maculatus and S. intermedius. The variations in feeding activity and fat storage showed by P. maculatus and S. intermedius might be related to their diets.

A chemometric analysis of ab initio vibrational frequencies and infrared intensities of methyl fluoride

Abstract: Factorial design and principal component analyses are applied to CH3F infrared frequencies and intensities calculated from ab initio wave functions. In the factorial analysis, the quantitative effects of changing from a 6–31G to a 6–311G basis, of including polarization and diffuse orbitals, and of correcting for electron correlation using the second‐order Møller‐Plesset procedure are determined for all frequencies and intensities. The most significant main effect observed for the frequencies corresponds to the shift from Hartree‐Fock to MP2 calculations, which tends to lower all frequency values by approximately 100 cm−1. For the intensities, the main effects are larger for the CF stretching and the CH3 asymmetric stretching modes. Interaction effects between two or more of the four factors are found to be of minor importance, except for the interaction between correlation and polarization. The principal component analysis indicates that wave functions with polarization and diffuse orbitals at the second‐order Møller‐Plesset level provide the best estimates for the harmonic frequencies, but not for the intensities. For the frequencies, the first principal component distinguishes between MP2 and Hartree‐Fock calculations, while the second component separates the wave functions with polarization orbitals from those without these orbitals. For the intensities, the separation is similar but less well defined. This analysis also shows that wave function optimization to calculate accurate intensities is more difficult than an optimization for frequencies. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Seropositivity for anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies among blood donors of the "Hospital Universitário Regional do Norte do Paraná", Londrina, Brazil

Abstract: The most frequent form of acquisition of Chagas' disease in endemic areas was the transmission through the feces of contaminated triatominae. However, special attention should be paid in urban areas to transmission by blood transfusion, justifying the compulsory screening of blood donors. Early investigations at blood banks in the town of Londrina, Brazil, demonstrated that the seroprevalence of anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies among blood donors was approximately 7.0% in the fifties9,34. Further studies demonstrated pratically the same seroprevalence until the eighties4,32,41. In an attempt to obtain data about the real dimension of the seropositivity for anti-Trypasonoma cruzi antibodies in the region, the authors carried out a large-scale study on 45,774 serum samples from blood donors of the Hemocentro of Hospital Universitario Regional do Norte do Parana (HURNP), Universidade Estadual de Londrina. The immunological tests were done at the Division of Clinical Immunology of HURNP from May 1990 to December 1994. The serum samples were studied by the indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA, using kits commercially obtained from EBRAM) and by indirect immunofluorescence (IFI, using kits from LIO SERUM) with anti-human IgG conjugate (LABORCLIN). The results demonstrated that 643 serum samples were positive in both assay corresponding to a seroprevalence of 1.4%, i.e., a significant decrease in anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in the region in comparison with the previously mentioned rates. Data correlating sex and age of seropositive blood donors are presented, as well as the possible factors that may have contributed to the results observed.

Ecologia de mosquitos (Diptera, Culicidae) em criadouros naturais e artificiais de área rural do norte do Parana, Brasil: II. Coletas com isca humana

Abstract: With then purpose of knowing the species of mosquitos that colonize an anthropogenic area in the North of Parana, Brazil. 1496 specimens were captured by the humam bait method, accountig 23 species among them the following were predominam: Anopheles strodei Root, 1926; An. evansae Brethes, 1926; An. galvaoi Causey, Deane & Deane, 1943; An. albitarsis Lynch Arribalzaga, 1878; Coquillettidea juxtamansonia Chagas, 1907; Co. venezuelensis Theobaldi, 1912; Culex (Melanoconion) sp. e Aedes fluviatilis (Lutz, 1904) and showed shong anthopophilia and a high degree of adaptation to humam environment. On the cantray, the species that showed lilth adaptation to such ambients or to the geoclimatic conditions of the region were: Anopheles triannulatus (Neiva & Pinto, 1922); An. parvus (Chagas, 1907); An. lutzii Cruzi, 1901, Culex amazonensis (Lutz, 1905); Cx. chidesteri; Psorophora confinnis (Linch Arribalzaga, 1891); Ps. discrucians (Walker, 1856); Ps. cingulata (Fabricius, 1805) e Aedes scapularis. Although Anopheles argyritarsis Robineau-Desvoidy, 1827; Culex coronator Dyar & Knab, 1906; Cx. mollis Dyar & Knab, 1906 and Cx. quinquefasciatus Say, 1823, were captured in little numbers, it is knowntht they an mosquito of human surroundings. These mosquitos showed a plak of feeding activity directly related to sunset bat did not have a bimodal behaviour. Anophelinae were in general more active in spring while Culex Linnaeus, 1758; Coquillettidia Dyar, 1905; Aedes Meigen, 1818; Mansonia Blanchard, 1901 e Psorophora Robineau-Desvoidy, 1827 were more active in summer.

Synergistic effect of counterregulatory hormones during insulin-induced hypoglycemia in rats: participation of lipolysis and gluconeogenesis to hyperglycemia.

Abstract: AIM: To study the synergistic effect of G (glucagon, 0.02 mg.kg-1), H (hydrocortisone, 20 mg.kg-1) and E (phenylephrine + isoproterenol, both 1 mg.kg-1) during insulin-induced hypoglycemia (IIH) in rats with 6 h of food deprivation (F6 group). METHODS: I (insulin, 1 U.kg-1) was injected i.p. and 30 min later saline (F6 + I group), H, G and E individually or combined (G + H, G + E, H + E and G + H + E) were all injected i.p. and all experiments started 1 h after I injection. RESULTS: The rise in glycemia with H + G + E was greater than the sum of the responses to i.p. H, G and E individually or in double combination plus any single hormone. This effect was reproduced by G + H + Iso (isoproterenol, 1 mg.kg-1), G + H + Iso + Met (metoprolol, 1 mg.kg-1) and G + H + Sal (salbutamol, 1 mg.kg-1). A clear relationship was shown between glycemia and free fatty acids levels. Liver gluconeogenesis from glycerol (2 mmol.L-1) was higher in the group which received G + H + beta-adrenergic agonist vs control rats (F6 or F6 + I groups). CONCLUSION: (a) Acute hyperglycemia is obtained from a condition of IIH by combined i.p. of G + H + beta-adrenergic agonists; (b) This effect cannot be ascribed to a single hormone, but is a consequence of the combined effects of these substances; (c) Blood insulin levels and liver glycogen have no participation; (d) Lipolysis mediated by a beta-adrenergic mechanism and gluconeogenesis from glycerol contribute to the hyperglycemia.

Embryonal Survival to 6 Days in Mice Selected on Different Criteria for Litter Size

Abstract: Embryonal survival was compared in mice resulting from four criteria of selection: LS = selection on number born; IX = selection on an index of ovulation rate and ova success; UT = selection on number born to unilaterally ovariectomized females; and LC = unselected control. Selection occurred for 21 generations with three replicates of the four criteria; thereafter, relaxed selection was practiced. The evalu- ation was performed using mice of two replicates at Generation 35 and one replicate at Generation 36. Data on a total of 289 female mice were recorded. Females, at an average age of 9 wk, were mated to males of the same line. Six days after mating, each female was killed, ovaries were excised, corpora lutea were counted and equated to number of ova shed, and the numbers of implantation sites in each uterine horn were recorded. Least squares means were .84, .91, .85, and .82 for left embryonal survival (left implanta- tions/left ova) and .91, .90, .86, and .87 for right embryonal survival for LS, IX, UT, and LC, respec- tively. The right side had greater ovulation rate ( P < .001) and number of implantations ( P < .001). For embryonal survival, the criterion × side interaction was possibly important ( P < .09). Selection for litter size by different criteria increased ovulation rate ( P < .003) and embryonal survival ( P < .05) to 6 d. However, responses in embryonal survival were not greater after UT selection compared with LS or IX selection.

Genotoxic activity of the insecticide Nuvacron (Monocrotophos) detected by the micronucleus test in bone marrow erythrocytes of mice and in CHO cells

Abstract: The organophosphorus insecticide Nuvacron (Monocrotophos) is a very toxic agent widely utilized in Brazilian agriculture. To evaluate the clastogenic potential of this insecticide, in vivo and in vitro micronucleus (MN) assay experiments were carried out on Swiss mice and on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, respectively. Nuvacron administered at doses of 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg induced a statistically significant increase in the frequencies of MN detected in polychromatic bone marrow erythrocytes from animals (six/group) treated ip 24 h before. Exponentially growing CHAO cells were treated continuously (16h) with Nuvacron diluted in water to final concentrations of 1, 10, 100, 200, and 400 mg/ml. Three experiments were carried out using the cytokinesis-block method and a total of 6000 binucleated cells were scored to determine MN frequencies. A statistically significant increase in the frequencies of MN was observed for the cells treated with 1 and 10 mg/ ml Nuvacron. A marked decrease in cell proliferation rates was observed for CHO cultures treated with higher concentrations. These data demonstrate that Nuvacron has a genotoxic effect on both in vivo and in vitro mammalian test systems.

O objeto nulo do português brasileiro

Abstract: The null object in Brazilian Portuguese has been the been the topic of several studies, because it shows peculiarities that distinguish it from the null object of other languages, including European Portuguese. The aim of this paper is to discuss the various proposals that have been propose a treatment of the phenomenon that will account for its occurrence in Brazilian Portuguese as well as for the diachronic change that caused the appearance of this type of null object. The paper is largely based on Cyrino (1994)

Effect of isoprinosine on rotavirus replication in vitro.

Abstract: Isoprinosine (IPS) is a synthetic drug whose antiviral effect on rotavirus replication in vitro has been characterized in terms of the decrease in metachromasia after acridine orange staining. The present study describes the effect of IPS on the synthesis of viral RNA in vitro. MA-104 cell cultures infected with simian rotavirus strain SA-11 were incubated with zero, 250, 500 and 1,000 micrograms/ml IPS and 22, 24, 48, 52, 72 and 76 h after infection the cultures were submitted to a 1-h starvation period, followed by a 2-h pulse with 10 microCi/ml of [3H]-uridine. The homogenates of virus-infected cultures treated or not with IPS were submitted to phenol/chloroform extraction followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The amount of radioactivity in viral RNA eluted from the gel strips was determined. Inhibition of viral RNA synthesis was highest at the IPS concentration of 1,000 micrograms/ml at 72 h after infection, corresponding to 78% inhibition. Although the results obtained in vitro suggest that IPS may be useful for the treatment of rotavirus infection, an in vivo demonstration of its efficacy is needed.

Sociedad digital: del homo sapiens al homo digitalis

Abstract: 2°) La jerga de la comunicación Analisa as técnicas para transmissão de grandes quantidades de dados, voz e imagem a grandes distâncias, a fibra óptica para transmissão da informação que a hipermídia requer, o modo de transferência assíncrono (ATM) as redes de comunicação, as vantagens da informação digital; a evolução dos satélites e as dificuldades no uso destas tecnologias por empresas e pessoas. Afirma que o principal problema, no processamento das redes, é o uso de uma linguagem comum para representar a informação, em forma digital, e os procedimentos para coordenar os trajetos da comunicação.

Equivalence at Word, Grammatical and Textual Level in the Translation of Mark Twain's The Story of the Bad Little Boy VVho Didn't Come to Grief

Abstract: Anyone engaged in the task of translating texts, whether they are literary or technical ones, is presented with the various linguistic constraints the two different language systems compared bring into life, and has, eventually, to make decisions. Sometimes the choices made seem to happily work their function; however, in most cases, the task of choosing the more suitable word or expression to reach the result wanted seems to be endless. We say that any text is not definitive, because there is always another way of rephrasing it. For the same reason, there is no definite translation for any given source text (ST). In the present paper I assess the quality of the translation done by Araujo Nabuco, first published in 1960 and then in 1985, of Mark Twain's The story of the bad little boy who didn't come to grief, written in the years of 1860-1867. I will analyse the choices made by him, in an attempt to determine whether features of the ST and the translated text (TT) are equivalent or not. In the analysis of the translated text I will draw on Baker's (1992) categorisation, that is, I will comment on equivalence at word, grammatical and textual levei. I will also mention how participation was accounted for in the TI' (House 1981).

[Congenital ChagaśDisease: epidemiology, laboratorial diagnosis, prognosis and treatment]

Abstract: The authors review studies about epidemiology, clinical aspects and methods used in laboratorial diagnosis of congenital Chagas'disease, emphasizing the limitations in their specificity and sensibility, and suggest alternative methods to improve the accuracy and the quality of the laboratorial diagnosis of congenital Chagaśdisease, essential to an efficient treatment.

Frequency of pap and pil operons in Escherichia coli strains associated with urinary infections.

Abstract: Strains of E. coli isolated from patients with urinary tract infection were examined for P and type 1 adhesin production by colony hybridization with pap and pil operons. The P pili probe detected 45 (46.4%) of the total of 97 strains studied and the type 1 pili probe detected 83 (85.6%). The pap operon was detected in 39 (53.4%) of 73 strains isolated from urine of patients with urinary disease and in 6 (25.0%) of 24 strains isolated from feces of healthy individuals employed as controls (P = 0.029), and the pil operon was detected in 67 (91.8%) of the urinary strains and in 16 (66.6%) of the fecal strains (P = 0.007). Our data did not show significant differences in frequency of P pili among isolates from pyelonephritis (78.5%), cystitis (45.8%) and asymptomatic bacteriuria (54.5%). Type 1 pili were not associated with the different types of infection; the frequency of these pili was 100% in pyelonephritis and in asymptomatic bacteriuria, and 87.5% in cystitis. The incidence of pap operon in strains isolated from pyelonephritis and from asymptomatic bacteriuria was higher in 11- to 40-year old women. These data show a high frequency of pap and pil operons among uropathogenic strains of E. coli, which seems to be an important factor in the development of urinary infection.

Pseudoclassical description of massive Dirac particles in odd dimensions

Abstract: A pseudoclassical model is proposed to describe massive Dirac (spin-one-half) particles in arbitrary odd dimensions. The quantization of the model reproduces the minimal quantum theory of spinning particles in such dimensions. A dimensional duality between the model proposed and the pseudoclassical description of Weyl particles in even dimensions is discussed.

Implantação intra-orbital, após a enucleação transpalpebral, de resina acrílica ou pericárdio em coelhos

Abstract: Eighteen Norfolk female rabbits, 45 days old, were divided into three groups of six animals and submitted to transpalpebral enucleation. Animals of group I received intraorbital auto-polimerized acrylic resin, the ones of group II received equine pericardium preserved in glycerin solution and animals of group III were control. Three animals of each group were euthanised 30 and 60 days after implantation for macroscopic and histopathologic evaluation of the orbital cavities. Although the resin has been applied during the doughy phase in which the high temperature produced by polimerization could be dangerous to the tissue, it was the product that showed the best result.

Cantando o Brasil pós-64

Abstract: Esse artigo tem por objetivo discutir a possibilidade de analise de realidades sociais atraves de registros historicos variados Para tanto, procurou-se destacar o periodo do Brasil pos-64, atraves do estudo de algumas cancoes