O transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade (TDAH) é um dos transtornos psiquiátricos mais freqüentes da infância e adolescência, sendo caracterizado por sintomas de desatenção, hiperatividade e impulsividade. A contribuição genética na etiologia do TDAH é uma das mais altas já verificadas para transtornos psiquiátricos, com herdabilidade média estimada de 76%. Dentre os fatores genéticos que contribuiriam para o desenvolvimento da doença, genes que codificam componentes do sistema dopaminérgico estão entre os principais candidatos. Entre estes, o gene que codifica o receptor D4 de dopamina (DRD4) é o loco mais intensamente investigado nos estudos moleculares com o TDAH. O polimorfismo mais estudado no DRD4 é um VNTR de 48 pb localizado no exon 3; porém outros polimorfismos, localizados na região promotora do gene – uma duplicação de 120pb e os SNPs -521C>T e - 616C>G – também vêm sendo propostos como polimorfismos de suscetibilidade ao TDAH. Além desses, novas variantes em regiões regulatórias do gene, os SNPs rs11246227 e rs11246228, foram observados recentemente em associação com sintomas de desatenção do TDAH. O objetivo geral do presente trabalho foi aumentar a compreensão acerca da participação do gene DRD4 na etiologia do TDAH na nossa população Para tanto, foi testada inicialmente a possibilidade de associação do SNP rs11246227, sendo em seguida investigado o significado funcional dos SNPs rs11246227 e rs11246228, e sua possível relação com a doença, através de ferramentas de bioinformática. O estudo de associação foi realizado em uma amostra composta por 478 pacientes com TDAH, diagnosticados segundo os critérios do DSM-IV, e seus pais biológicos. O rs112466227 foi investigado por abordagens baseada em família (FBAT) e dimensional (PBAT, ANOVA). A possibilidade de desequilíbrio de ligação (DL) com polimorfismos previamente investigados na presente amostra foi estimada pelo programa MLocus. A análise in silico foi realizada utilizando diferentes bases de dados genômicos e programas de predição de sítios alvo para miRNAs e de funcionalidade. A análise pelo FBAT mostrou um desvio significativo da transmissão do alelo C nos pacientes do subtipo desatento. Foram observadas evidências de DL com a duplicação de 120bp e com o VNTR do exon 3. As análises de bioinformática mostraram que os SNPs rs11246227 e rs11246228 estão localizadas na região 3’ do gene DRD4, e não na região 5’, como previamente descrito. Diferenças entre os alelos, com perda ou ganho de sítios de ligação para diferentes miRNAs, foram detectados em ambos os SNPs pelos programas MicroInspector, 5 smiRNAdb e miRecords, e apenas no rs11246227 pelos programas Human miRNA Target e Mirò. A grande variabilidade e a complexidade genética marcante do gene DRD4 aliada à heterogeneidade fenotípica do TDAH provavelmente contribuíram para nossos resultados de associação, divergentes dos descritos na literatura, os quais necessitam de replicação em estudos futuros. Nossos achados em bioinformática sugerem um possível envolvimento dos SNPs investigados com a ligação de miRNAs relacionados aos processos de neurogênese e neuroplasticidade. Genes envolvidos com estes processos vêm sendo identificados nos genome-wide association studies realizados com o TDAH, o que apóia nossos resultados in silico. Entretanto, mais estudos funcionais são necessários, tanto in silico como in vitro, para esclarecer o envolvimento dos polimorfismos analisados na regulação da expressão do gene DRD4 via miRNAs e, consequentemente, do possível efeito desses elementos na etiologia da doença. / Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders of childhood and adolescence, characterized by inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive symptoms. Genetic contribution to ADHD etiology is one of the highest ever recorded for psychiatric disorders, with a mean heritability of 76%. Among genetic factors that could contribute to disorder development, genes encoding components from dopaminergic system are the main candidate. Of these, the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) is the most extensively investigated locus in molecular studies of ADHD. The most studied polymorphism in DRD4 gene is a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) of 48bp, located at exon 3, although other polymorphisms, located in promoter region – a 120bp duplication and the SNPs -521C> T and-616C> G – have also been proposed as susceptibility polymorphisms for ADHD. In addition, new variants in regulatory regions, the SNPs rs11246227 and rs11246228, have recently been associated with inattentive symptoms of the disorder. The overall objective of this study was to increase the understanding on the involvement of DRD4 gene in ADHD etiology in our population For this purpose, the possibility of association with the SNP rs11246227 was initially tested, being afterwards investigated the functional effect of both rs11246227 and rs11246228 and their possible relation to ADHD through bioinformatics approach. The association study was performed in a sample composed by 478 ADHD patients, diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria, and their biological parents. The rs112466227 was investigated by both family-based (FBAT) and dimensional (PBAT, ANOVA) approaches. The possibility of linkage disequilibrium (LD) with polymorphisms previously investigated in the present sample was estimated by MLocus software. In silico analysis was conducted using different genomic databases and programs to predict miRNA target sites and functionality. FBAT analysis showed a significant excess of C allele transmission in inattentive subtype patients. Evidences of LD with both 120bp tandem duplication and exon 3 VNTR were observed. Bioinformatics analyses showed that both SNPs rs11246227 and rs11246228 are located in the 3' region of DRD4 gene, and not at 5’ region, as previously described. Differences between alleles, with loss or gain of binding sites, were detected in both SNPs by MicroInspector, smiRNAdb and miRecords, and only in rs11246227 by Human miRNA Targets and miRò DRD4 huge variability and marked genetic complexity allied to ADHD phenotypic heterogeneity might have contributed to our 7 association results, distinct from the ones reported in literature, what needs to be replicated in future studies. Our bioinformatics findings suggest a possible involvement of investigated SNPs in binding properties of miRNAs related to processes of neurogenesis and neuronal plasticity. Genes involved in these processes have been identified in ADHD genome-wide association studies, reinforcing our in silico results. However, new functional studies, using both in silico and in vitro approaches, are needed to clarify the involvement of the investigated polymorphisms in DRD4 expression control mediated by miRNAs and, consequently, the possible effect of these elements in ADHD etiology.

Os processos de dinâmica superficial, como os movimentos de massa são eventos naturais e fazem parte da dinâmica do planeta. Quando ocorrem em áreas ocupadas, podem acarretar consequências econômicas e sociais de significativa dimensão. Esta problemática é verificada no município de Porto Alegre, onde constantemente são registrados movimentos de massa. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa consiste em identificar e mapear as áreas com perigo de movimentos de massa em Porto Alegre. Para tanto, foi realizado o levantamento do histórico de ocorrências de movimentos de massa no período entre 1995 e 2010, o estudo dos materiais superficiais, suscetibilidade e ocupação do solo. Os procedimentos metodológicos foram organizados em 4 etapas: levantamento de dados referentes aos registros de movimentos de massa e de bases cartográficas; organização dos registros e das bases cartográficas; análise e correlação das informações sobre os registros de movimentos de massa e mapas de relevo, geologia e pedologia para a definição do mapa de suscetibilidade a movimentos de massa; síntese das informações para definição do mapa das áreas com perigo de movimentos de massa a partir do cruzamento dos mapas de suscetibilidade e uso do solo. Os resultados indicam que os bairros Cascata, São José, Coronel Aparício Borges e Protásio Alves são os que apresentam maior número de ocorrências de movimentos de massa no período analisado. As áreas definidas como suscetíveis à ocorrência de movimentos de massa estão localizadas na poção central do município junto ao Morro da Polícia e Morro Santa Tereza, na porção sudoeste junto às encostas do Morro das Abertas e Morro Serraria, e na porção leste junto às encostas do Morro Santana e Morro Alto Petrópolis. O mapa de perigo indica a predominância destas áreas na porção central do município. Na porção sul, as áreas urbanas tem menor densidade de ocupação, consequentemente nestes locais as áreas com perigo de movimento de massa são reduzidos. / The dynamic surface processes related to the occurrence of mass movements in urban areas represent economic and social losses. These processes occur at the municipality of Porto Alegre, where mass movement are recorded frequently. The objective of this research was to identify and map areas at hazard of mass movements in the municipality of Porto Alegre. For this, we performed a study of the historical occurrences of mass movement in the period between 1995 and 2010, study of susceptibility, study of surface materials and the use and occupation. The methodological procedures were organized into four steps: data collection records related to mass movement and cartographic bases; organization of records and cartographic; analysis and correlation of information records of mass movement and maps of topography, geology and soil to define the map of susceptibility to mass movement; synthesis of information to define the map of areas at hazard of mass movement from the crossing of the susceptibility maps and land use. The results indicate that the Cascade, San Jose, Colonel Aparício Borges and Protásio Alves neighborhood are the highest number of occurrences of mass movement between 1995 and 2000. The areas identified as susceptible to the occurrence of mass movement are located in the center of the municipality next to the Morro da Polícia and Morro Santa Teresa, near the southwest slopes of the Morro das Abertas e Morro Serraria, and east near the slopes of the Morro Santana and Morro Alto Petrópolis. The hazard map indicates the dominance of these areas in the center of the municipality. In the south of the municipality, urban areas have lower density of occupation, consequently the areas at hazard of mass movement are reduced.

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae é um importante patógeno em suinocultura e apesar do uso freqüente de vacinas contra o mesmo na maior parte das propriedades produtoras do país, a ocorrência de quadros clínicos da infecção tem sido amplamente observada e diagnosticada. Tendo em vista o ressurgimento deste agente como causa de prejuízos econômicos para a indústria suinícola nacional e seu potencial risco à saúde pública, este estudo teve como objetivo caracterizar 151 amostras de Erysipelothrix spp. isoladas de suínos nos útlimos 30 anos por meio de sorotipagem, determinação da susceptibilidade antimicrobiana, AFLP e PFGE. Dentre os 151 isolados, 139 foram classificados em 18 sorotipos diferentes (1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 24 e 25), sendo que o sorotipo 2b foi o mais freqüente. Os perfis de susceptibilidade antimicrobiana foram muito semelhantes entre os isolados, o que impossibilitou a subtipagem dos isolados de Erysipelothrix spp. pelos testes de sensibilidade. Dentre os primers testados no AFLP, o HI-G foi o mais adequado à tipagem molecular de Erysipelothrix spp. Apesar do AFLP/HI-G e da PFGE apresentarem o mesmo índice discriminatório (0,98), a PFGE apresentou melhor relação com os dados epidemiológicos que o AFLP/HI-G, tendo em conta os agrupamentos por ela gerados. Independente da técnica molecular empregada, não foi observado a discriminação entre isolados recentes e históricos, bem como um padrão epidemiológico fixo de agrupamento dos mesmos. Contudo, o AFLP/HI-G pode ser uma alternativa interessante para diferenciar as espécies de Erysipelothrix, assim como a PFGE tem grande potencial para agrupar isolados deste gênero de acordo com os sorotipos. / Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae is an important pathogen in swine production and even with the frequent use of vaccines against it in most of Brazilian pig farms, the occurrence of clinical manifestations of its infection has been widely observed and diagnosed. Given the resurgence of this agent as a cause of economic losses to the national pig industry and its potential risk to public health, this study aimed to characterize 151 samples of Erysipelothrix spp. isolated from swine in last 30 years by serotyping, determination of antimicrobial susceptibility, AFLP and PFGE. Among the 151 isolates, 139 were classified in 18 different serotypes (1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 24 and 25) and serotype 2b was the most frequent. The susceptibility profiles were very similar among the isolates, which precluded the subtyping of Erysipelothrix spp. isolates by sensitivity tests. Among the primers tested in AFLP, the HI-G was the most suitable for molecular typing of Erysipelothrix spp. Despite AFLP/HI-G and PFGE provided the same discriminatory index (0.98), PFGE presented better relationship with epidemiological data than AFLP/HI-G, given the types of groups generated by it. Regardless of the molecular technique employed, there was no discrimination between recent and historical isolates as well as a fixed epidemiological pattern of grouping them. Nevertheless AFLP/HI-G could be an interesting alternative for Erysipelothrix species discrimination, even as PFGE has a good potential to diferenciate this genus according to serotypes.

Mapas quantitativos de ressonância magnética (RM) têm sido propostos para quantificar a concentração in vivo de ferro no cérebro. Contudo, a especificidade destes mapas para outros metais e seus respectivos íons metálicos é pouco conhecida, limitando o diagnóstico radiológico e o estudo de doenças relacionadas com acúmulo de metais no cérebro. Propomos nesta tese avaliar a sensibilidade e a especificidade dos mapas de relaxometria (R2, R2*) e de susceptibilidade (QSM, sigla em inglês de Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping) para diferentes metais e respectivos íons paramagnéticos de encéfalos postmortem sem doença neurológica em duas condições (in situ e ex situ). Adicionalmente procuramos identificar as metaloproteinas associadas aos íons paramagnéticos detectados nos tecidos cerebrais. Por último, avaliamos a sensibilidade destes mapas quantitativos em estudos de biodistribuição de nano partículas superparamagnéticas de oxido de ferro em tecido animal e em objeto simulador. Treze sujeitos postmortem sem doença neurológica, 1 paciente postmortem com doença de Parkinson e 6 camundongos brancos swiss (2 controles e 4 injetados) foram estudados. Um idoso saudável também foi examinado para comparações in vivo e postmortem. Mapas de ressonância magnética de encéfalo de humanos e de corpo inteiro de animais foram adquiridos em um equipamento de 3T e 7T, respectivamente. Amostras de tecido cerebral dos núcleos da base e do lobo parietal de ambos hemisférios foram extraídas dos encéfalos humanos após, em média, 148 dias de fixação em solução de formaldeído 4%. A quantificação de íons paramagnéticos e de metais totais foi realizada por ressonância paramagnética eletrônica (RPE) e espectrometria de massa por plasma indutivamente acoplado (ICP-MS, sigla em inglês de Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry), respectivamente. Os espectros de RPE de todas as regiões cerebrais estudadas apresentaram 4 conjunto de picos principais de ressonância de diferentes amplitudes. A simulação para os espectros obtidos de RPE permitiu identificar íons de Fe+3 nucleados e isolados em ferritina (g = 2,0 e g = 4,28, respectivamente) e Cu+2 (g = 2,259 e g = 2,062) em ceruloplasmina desnaturada. Mapas de QSM, R2* e R2 de cérebro controle de postmortem in situ e ex situ foram sensíveis e específicos apenas para a concentração de ferro total e de íons paramagnéticos Fe+3, como nanopartículas nucleadas na forma de ferrihidrita na ferritina. Embora cobre presente em ceruloplasmina tenha sido detectado por RPE e ICP-MS, não foi observada correlação com os mapas quantitativos de ressonância magnética. Nossos resultados postmortem confirmam a hipótese teórica de que os valores dos mapas QSM, R2* e R2, nessa ordem, estão mais fortemente correlacionados com o Fe+3 depositado na proteína ferritina. Os mapas de RM in situ foram mais sensíveis para quantificar metais do que os mapas ex situ, possivelmente pelo efeito do processo de fixação, permitindo uma melhor extrapolação dos resultados in situ para a condição in vivo. Nossos achados sugerem uma heterogeneidade nestas variações de sensibilidade, indicando que as técnicas de RM são dependentes da composição do tecido e devem ser levadas em conta para futuras conclusões. Por último, o mapa de susceptibilidade magnética mostrou ser mais independente da biodistribuição de nano partículas superparamagnéticas de oxido de ferro do que o mapa R2* para tecido animal e objeto simulador. / Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging maps have been proposed to quantify the in vivo concentration of iron in the brain. However, the specificity of these maps for other metals and their respective metal ions is little known, limiting the radiological diagnosis and the study of diseases related to accumulation of metals in the brain. In this work, we propose to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the relaxometry (R2 and R2*) and susceptibility maps for different metals and respective paramagnetic ions of postmortem controls in two conditions (in situ and ex situ). In addition, we sought to identify the metalloproteins associated with paramagnetic ions detected in brain tissues. Finally, we evaluated the sensitivity of these quantitative maps in studies of biodistribution of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in mice. Thirteen postmortem controls, 1 postmortem patient with Parkinson\'s disease and 6 white swiss mice (2 controls and 4 injected) were studied. One healthy elderly man was also examined for in vivo and postmortem comparisons. Magnetic resonance maps of human brain and whole body animals were acquired in a 3T and 7T scanners, respectively. Brain human tissues samples were extracted from the basal nucleus and parietal lobe of both hemispheres after, in averaging, 148 days of fixation in 4% formaldehyde solution. Paramagnetic ion and total metal quantification were performed by electron paramagnetic resonance and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, respectively. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of all brain regions studied showed 4 set of major resonance peaks with different amplitudes. Simulations of the spectra obtained from electron paramagnetic resonance allowed the identification of nucleated Fe3+ ions isolated in ferritin (g = 2.0 and = 4.28, respectively) and Cu2+ (g = 2,259 and g = 2,062) in denatured ceruloplasmin. QSM, R2* and R2 maps of postmortem controls in situ and ex situ were sensitivity and specific only for the concentration of total iron and Fe3+ as nanoparticles nucleated in the form of ferrite inside of ferritin. Although copper present in ceruloplasmin was detected by electron paramagnetic resonance and mass spectrometry, no correlation was observed with the quantitative magnetic resonance maps. Our postmortem results confirm the theoretical hypothesis that the values of the QSM, R2* and R2 maps, in that order, are more strongly correlated with the Fe3+ deposited in the ferritin protein. The in situ magnetic resonance maps were more sensitive to quantify metals than the ex situ maps, allowing a better extrapolation of the in situ results to the in vivo condition. Our findings suggest heterogeneity in these sensitivity variations, indicating that magnetic resonance techniques are dependent on tissue composition and should be taken into account for future conclusions. Finally, the magnetic susceptibility map showed to be more independent of the biodistribution of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in animal tissue and in the simulator than the R2* map.

The Technical Testing and Analysis Center (TTAC) Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory performs electromagnetic compatibility testing on various radiation detection units. These tests require remote viewing of the equipment’s display to monitor its compliance with national and international standards. The Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) camera equipment that is used to monitor the displays exhibits radio frequency susceptibilities causing issues when determining the actual susceptibilities of the device under test. In order to mitigate this issue, a COTS camera was placed in two common test positions and cycled through three angled orientations with various radio frequency shielding methods applied. The development of these shielding methods was investigated in this thesis. The goal was to reduce the number of susceptible frequencies. The reduction of susceptibilities would greatly increase the viewing capacity of the cameras during testing. The techniques discovered have allowed for other COTS camera equipment to be modified and used effectively during electromagnetic compatibility testing.

Nanostructured systems composed of two or more technologically important materials are useful for device applications and intriguing for the new fundamental physics they may display. Magnetism at the nanoscale is dominated by size and surface effects which combined with other media lead to new spin dynamics and interfacial coupling phenomena. These new properties may prove to be useful for optimizing sensors and devices, increasing storage density for magnetic media, as well as for biomedical applications such as drug delivery, MRI contrast enhancement, and hyperthermia treatment for cancer. In this project we have examined the surface and interface magnetism of composite nanoparticles and multilayer thin films by using conventional DC magnetization and AC susceptibility as well as transverse susceptibility, a method for directly probing the magnetic anisotropy of materials. Au and Fe3O4 synthesized together into three different nanoparticle configurations and ranging in size for 60 nm down to 9nm are used to study how the size, shape, and interfaces affect the most fundamental properties of magnetism in the Au-Fe3O4 system. The findings have revealed ways in which the magnetic properties can be enhanced by tuning these parameters. We have shown that by changing the configurations of the Au and Fe3O4 particles, exotic behavior can be observed such as a large increase in anisotropy field (H[subscript]K ranging from 435 Oe to 1650 Oe) and the presence of exchange bias. Multilayer thin films have been studied as well which combine the important classes of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials. In one case, barium hexaferrite/barium strontium titanate thin films, the anisotropic behavior of the ferromagnet is shown to change due to the introduction of the secondary material. In the other example, CrO2/Cr2O3 bilayers, exchange coupling is observed as Cr2O3 is an antiferromagnet as well as a ferroelectric. This coupling is manifest as a uniaxial anisotropy rather than the unidirectional anisotropy associated with exchange biased bilayers. Not only will such multifunctional structures will be useful for technological applications, but the materials properties and configurations can be chosen and tuned to further enhance the desired functional properties.

Background: Infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are among the most urgent threats of the infectious disease realm. The incidence of these infections has been increasing over the years and due to very limited treatment options, mortality is estimated at about 50%. By 2050, mortality from antimicrobial resistant infections is expected to surpass cancer at 10 million deaths annually. Methods: We evaluated 18 contemporary antimicrobials against 122 carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae using a variety of antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods according to Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Time-kill studies were performed on clinical isolates with variable resistance to meropenem, amikacin, and polymyxin B. Phenotypic expression assays were performed on all isolates and whole genome sequencing was performed on 8 isolates to characterize molecular resistance mechanisms. Pharmacodynamic modeling of meropenem and polymyxin B was also conducted. Results: CRE were primarily K. pneumoniae, and Enterobacter spp. 60% expressed Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) only, 16% expressed Verona Integron-encoded Metallo-beta-lactamase (VIM) only, 5% expressed KPC and VIM, and 20% expressed other mechanisms of resistance. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing indicated the most active antimicrobials against CRE were ceftazidime/avibactam, imipenem/relebactam, amikacin, tigecycline, and the polymyxins. Etest® strips did not reliably measure polymyxin B resistance. The automated testing system, BD Phoenix™, consistently reported lower MICs than the gold standard broth microdilution. Time-kill studies showed regrowth at clinically achievable concentrations of meropenem alone (4, 16, and 64 mg/L), polymyxin B alone (0.25 and 1 mg/L), or amikacin alone (8 and 16 mg/L), but combinations of meropenem with either polymyxin B or amikacin were bactericidal and synergistic. Meropenem administered simultaneously or prior to polymyxin B exhibited superior activity to polymyxin B administered first. Conclusions: Novel carbapenemase-inhibitor combinations (ceftazidime/avibactam and imipenem/relebactam) exhibit the best activity against KPC-producing CRE. The polymyxins, amikacin, and tigecycline exhibit the best activity against VIM-producing CRE. Meropenem in combination with polymyxin B is bactericidal and synergistic when the meropenem MIC is ≤32 mg/L, and meropenem should never be administered after polymyxin B. Meropenem and amikacin is bactericidal and synergistic when the amikacin MIC is ≤16 mg/L. Etest® strips should not be used for characterizing polymyxin B or colistin activity. Clinicians should be aware that automated testing systems may produce biased susceptibility results relative to the gold standard method, broth microdilution, which may influence interpretation of in vitro results.

Rapid determination of drugs effective against bacterial strains is critically important to stopping further spread of an infection and reducing antibiotic resistance. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is done to determine what type of antibiotic and what concentration will be effective in treating an infection. Current, growth-dependent, AST methods are reliant on the growth rate of the bacteria and can take several days to several weeks to get results. A piezoelectric plate sensor can be used to measure an instant change in the minute physiological stresses of the bacteria cells when they are exposed to an effective concentration of antibiotic. This work aims to investigate the feasibility of piezoelectric plate sensors used for instantaneous AST (iAST) results and develop a technological framework for scaling this technology to a clinical lab setting. Four Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) quality control strains of bacteria were tested with a wide range of antibiotics from various drug classes using the piezoelectric sensor. Results were obtained within 30 minutes and compared to standard of care AST methods used in clinical labs, and CLSI prescribed ranges for each strain of bacteria. This thesis will also discuss a framework for developing more scalable sensors, and challenges associated with the different sensor designs.

O manejo de Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) no Brasil tem sido baseado principalmente no controle químico. O uso de inseticidas de grupos químicos mais recentes, tais como diamidas e espinosinas, tem sido crescente no controle de H. armigera e de outros lepidópteros-praga que ocorrem em diferentes sistemas de produção de cultivos. Para a implementação de estratégias proativas de manejo da resistência de insetos, os objetivos da presente pesquisa foram (i) caracterizar as linhas-básicas de suscetibilidade a inseticidas diamidas (chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole e flubendiamide) e espinosinas (spinosad e spinetoram) em populações de H. armigera do Brasil; (ii) estimar a frequência inicial de alelo que confere resistência a chlorantraniliprole e spinosad; e (iii) caracterizar o padrão de herança da resistência de H. armigera a flubendiamide e a resistência cruzada com outras diamidas. Inicialmente foram realizadas a caracterização das linhas-básicas de suscetibilidade a inseticidas diamidas e espinosinas em sete populações de H. armigera coletadas na safra 2013/2014. Foram verificadas baixas variações na suscetibilidade a inseticidas diamidas (< 5 vezes) e espinosinas (&asymp; 2 vezes) entre as populações testadas, baseada na DL50. A frequência inicial do alelo que confere resistência de H. armigera a chlorantraniprole, estimada pelo método F2 screen, foi de 0,00694 (IC95%, 0,00018 - 0,02561) em 2014 a 0,04348 (IC95%, 0,01216 - 0,09347) em 2015. Para spinosad, a frequência foi de 0,02632 (IC95% 0,01149 - 0,04706) em populações de H. armigera coletadas na safra 2014/2015. Posteriormente, foram conduzidos o monitoramento da suscetibilidade com bioensaios de doses diagnósticas (DL99) de cada inseticida em populações de H. armigera coletadas no período de 2013 a 2017. Foram observadas reduções significativas na suscetibilidade a inseticidas diamidas em populações de H. armigera no decorrer das safras agrícolas, com sobrevivências de lagartas de 0% (em 2013) até 22% (em 2017). Não foram observadas diferenças significativas na suscetibilidade a inseticidas espinosinas em populações de H. armigera no decorrer das safras agrícolas de 2013 a 2016. Contudo, foram verificadas reduções significativas na suscetibilidade das populações avaliadas na safra 2016/2017, com sobrevivência de até 20% na dose diagnóstica de spinosad. A razão de resistência da linhagem de H. armigera resistente a flubendiamide foi &asymp; 1770 vezes. Foram verificadas a presença de baixa resistência cruzada entre flubendiamide e outras diamidas (chlorantraniliprole e cyantraniliprole). Baseado nos cruzamentos recíprocos entre as linhagens suscetível e resistente a flubendiamide, o padrão de herança da resistência de H. armigera a flubendiamide é autossômico e incompletamente dominante. Retrocruzamentos da progênie dos cruzamentos recíprocos com a linhagem suscetível revelou que a resistência de H. armigera a flubendiamide é monogênica. Os resultados obtidos neste trabalho evidenciam o alto risco de evolução da resistência e a necessidade de implementação de estratégias de manejo da resistência a inseticidas diamidas e espinosinas em H. armigera no Brasil. / The management of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) in Brazil has been based mainly on chemical control. The use of insecticides from relatively new chemical groups, such as diamides and spinosyns, has increased to control H. armigera and other lepidopteran-pests occurring in different cropping production systems. For implementing a proactive insect resistance management, the objectives of this research were: (i) to characterize the baseline susceptibility to diamide (chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole and flubendiamide) and sypnosyn (spinosad and spinetoram) insecticides in H. armigera populations from Brazil; (ii) to estimate the initial frequency of resistance allele to chlorantraniliprole and spinosad; and (iii) to characterize the inheritance of resistance of H. armigera to flubendiamide and the cross-resistance to other diamides. Initially, the baseline susceptibility to diamide and spinosyn insecticides was characterized in seven H. armigera populations collected in 2013/2014 growing season. Low variability in the susceptibility to diamide (< 5-fold) and sypinosyn (&asymp; 2-fold) insecticides was detected among H. armigera populations, based on LD50. The initial frequency of resistance allele of H. armigera to chlorantraniliprole, estimated by F2 screen method, was 0.00694 (CI95%, 0.00018 - 0.02561) in 2014 to 0.04348 (CI95%, 0.01216 - 0.09347) in 2015. To spinosad, the frequency was 0.02632 (CI95% 0.01149 - 0.04706) in H. armigera populations collected in 2014/2015. Then, insecticide susceptibility monitoring was conducted with diagnostic dose (LD99) bioassays of each insecticide in H. armigera populations collected from 2013 to 2017. A significant reduction in the susceptibility to diamide insecticides was detected throughout growing seasons, with larval survival from 0% (in 2013) up to 22% (in 2017). There were no significant differences in the susceptibility to spinosyn insecticides in H. armigera populations collected from 2013 to 2016. However, a significant reduction in the susceptibility was detected in populations from 2016/2017 growing season, with larval survival up to 20% at the diagnostic dose of spinosad. The resistance ratio of flubendiamide-resistant strain of H. armigera was &asymp; 1,770-fold. A low cross-resistance was detected between flubendiamide and other diamides (chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole). Based on reciprocal crosses between susceptible and flubendiamide-resistant strains, the inheritance of H. armigera resistance to flubendiamide is autosomal and incompletely dominant. Backcrosses of the progenies from reciprocal crosses to the susceptible strain revealed that the resistance of H. armigera to flubendiamide is monogenic. The results obtained herein showed the high risk of resistance evolution and the need of implementation of resistance management strategies to diamide and spinosyn insecticides in H. armigera in Brazil.

Ninety-four unmanaged lodgepole pine stands were examined to evaluate the relationship between stand density and susceptibility to mountain pine beetle attack. Sample included stands from a broad geographical range in the western United States. Beetle population trends were not significantly related to variation in stand density as measured by stand density index (SDI). The percentage of trees killed per acre by the mountain pine beetle in stands with greater than eighty percent lodgepole pine did vary significantly with changes in SDI. From these data three SDI zones were identified: 1) stands with SDI's of less than 125 showed low potential for attack, 2) stands between 125 and 250 SDI showed much greater levels of tree mortality, gradually decreasing toward the 250 SDI, 3) tree mortality decreased in stands as density increased beyond the 250 SDI value.