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Resumo: A Brachiaria plantaginea está entre as espécies de maior ocorrência como plantas daninhas em diversas culturas. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi estudar as características morfofisiológicas da espécie B. plantaginea quanto à resistência a herbicidas. Os experimentos foram conduzidos no período de janeiro à agosto do ano de 2009 em casa de vegetação com as plantas em vasos plásticos pretos de 3,0 L contendo substrato Plantimax® e em laboratório de análises foram realizadas conforme cada exigência necessária realizadas.na Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira - Campus II UNESP de Ilha Solteira. Foi usado delineamento experimental, sendo: teste de germinação, teste de vigor, transpiração em folhas destacadas hidratadas e estimativa da área foliar: fatorial de 2x2, sendo duas massas de sementes e dois biótipos de B. plantaginea (susceptível e resistente a herbicidas), e o teste de seletividade dos materiais aos herbicidas: fatorial de 2x3, sendo dois biótipos (susceptível e resistente a herbicidas),dois herbicidas (ametrina, imazapic) e uma testemunha sem herbicida. Observou-se que tanto a massa das sementes como o caráter resistência ao herbicida influenciaram no comportamento morfofisiológico da espécie B. plantaginea. Sementes com massas maiores apresentaram maiores respostas de germinação, mesmo após um período de envelhecimento da semente. O cultivar resistente apresentou menor desenvolvimento em relação às plantas susceptíveis, sendo um fator importante em se tratando de uma eliminação de plantas daninhas. Plantas de Brachiaria plantaginea resistente possuem maior transpiração apenas nas primeiras seis horas dificultando a eliminação por herbicida. O herbicida imazapic controlou o biótipo susceptível mesmo após a uma aplicação de pós-emergência. O biótipo resistente possui um maior transporte de elétrons podendo ser este o seu fator de resistência em relação ao biótipo susceptível / Abstract: Brachiaria plantaginea is among the most common species as weeds in many cultures. The objective of this work was to study the morphological and physiological characteristics of species B. plantaginea for resistance to herbicides. The experiments were conducted from January to August of 2009 in a greenhouse with plants grown in pots of 3.0 L black plastic substrate Plantimax ® and in laboratory tests were performed according to each requirement necessary in Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira - Campus II UNESP de Ilha Solteira. Experimental design was used, with a germination test, vigor test, transpiration in detached leaves hydrated and estimation of leaf area: 2x2 factorial, with two masses of seed and two biotypes of B. plantaginea (susceptible and resistant to herbicides), and test materials to the selectivity of herbicides: 2x3 factorial, two biotypes (susceptible and resistant to herbicides), two herbicides (ametryne imazapic) and no herbicide. It was observed that both seed mass as the character resistance to herbicide influence the behavior of the species B. plantaginea morphophysiological. Seeds with larger masses showed higher germination responses, even after an aging period of the seed. The resistant cultivar showed less developed compared to susceptible plants being an important factor when it comes to removing a weed. Brachiaria plantaginea resistant have a higher transpiration only for six hours making it difficult to eliminate by the herbicide. The imazapic controlled biotype likely even after the application of a post-emergence. The resistant biotype has a higher electron transport and this may be your resistance factor relative to susceptible biotype / Orientador: Fernando Tadeu de Carvalho / Coorientador: Pedro Jacob Christoffoleti / Banca: Edson Lazarini / Banca: Francisco de Assis Rolim Pereira / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-03-01Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:39:40Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 moretti_tb_me_ilha.pdf: 894602 bytes, checksum: 59c600d518a57a77a24160795f527ccd (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A Brachiaria plantaginea está entre as espécies de maior ocorrência como plantas daninhas em diversas culturas. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi estudar as características morfofisiológicas da espécie B. plantaginea quanto à resistência a herbicidas. Os experimentos foram conduzidos no período de janeiro à agosto do ano de 2009 em casa de vegetação com as plantas em vasos plásticos pretos de 3,0 L contendo substrato Plantimax® e em laboratório de análises foram realizadas conforme cada exigência necessária realizadas.na Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira – Campus II UNESP de Ilha Solteira. Foi usado delineamento experimental, sendo: teste de germinação, teste de vigor, transpiração em folhas destacadas hidratadas e estimativa da área foliar: fatorial de 2x2, sendo duas massas de sementes e dois biótipos de B. plantaginea (susceptível e resistente a herbicidas), e o teste de seletividade dos materiais aos herbicidas: fatorial de 2x3, sendo dois biótipos (susceptível e resistente a herbicidas),dois herbicidas (ametrina, imazapic) e uma testemunha sem herbicida. Observou-se que tanto a massa das sementes como o caráter resistência ao herbicida influenciaram no comportamento morfofisiológico da espécie B. plantaginea. Sementes com massas maiores apresentaram maiores respostas de germinação, mesmo após um período de envelhecimento da semente. O cultivar resistente apresentou menor desenvolvimento em relação às plantas susceptíveis, sendo um fator importante em se tratando de uma eliminação de plantas daninhas. Plantas de Brachiaria plantaginea resistente possuem maior transpiração apenas nas primeiras seis horas dificultando a eliminação por herbicida. O herbicida imazapic controlou o biótipo susceptível mesmo após a uma aplicação de pós-emergência. O biótipo resistente possui um maior transporte de elétrons podendo ser este o seu fator de resistência em relação ao biótipo susceptível / Brachiaria plantaginea is among the most common species as weeds in many cultures. The objective of this work was to study the morphological and physiological characteristics of species B. plantaginea for resistance to herbicides. The experiments were conducted from January to August of 2009 in a greenhouse with plants grown in pots of 3.0 L black plastic substrate Plantimax ® and in laboratory tests were performed according to each requirement necessary in Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira – Campus II UNESP de Ilha Solteira. Experimental design was used, with a germination test, vigor test, transpiration in detached leaves hydrated and estimation of leaf area: 2x2 factorial, with two masses of seed and two biotypes of B. plantaginea (susceptible and resistant to herbicides), and test materials to the selectivity of herbicides: 2x3 factorial, two biotypes (susceptible and resistant to herbicides), two herbicides (ametryne imazapic) and no herbicide. It was observed that both seed mass as the character resistance to herbicide influence the behavior of the species B. plantaginea morphophysiological. Seeds with larger masses showed higher germination responses, even after an aging period of the seed. The resistant cultivar showed less developed compared to susceptible plants being an important factor when it comes to removing a weed. Brachiaria plantaginea resistant have a higher transpiration only for six hours making it difficult to eliminate by the herbicide. The imazapic controlled biotype likely even after the application of a post-emergence. The resistant biotype has a higher electron transport and this may be your resistance factor relative to susceptible biotype

"A number of fluorometric techniques have been applied to characterize contamination associated with oil discharges and spills in the environment. While these techniques provide quick and lower cost alternatives to the many of the advanced techniques for characterizing oil-related constituents, their applicability still isn’t fully understood. The objectives of this research were to understand the characteristics of organic transport in a linked surface-water/ground-water system, and develop some practical approaches using fluorometry to characterize the pathways of organic transport. The approach included modeling, field sampling and comparisons of laboratory analyses to assess basic field fluorometry techniques for characterizing sources and distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with oil discharges. The primary field site included a canal and nearby river, which resulted in generally uniform hydraulic gradient, such that petroleum and PAH contamination at the site could be characterized. Historical data provided general information on the distribution of contamination. Modeling using the Modflow groundwater flow package provided basic information on groundwater flow pathways and rates. Samples were collected from the canal, groundwater, the river and a treatment facility. Additional samples were collected from Bayou Corne sinkhole in Lousiana and the Deepwater Horizon crude oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The samples were analyzed for fluorometric absorbance using a 10AU field fluorometer, a Shimadzu absorbance spectrometer and a LS5 luminescence spectrometer (which provided fluorescence over a spectrum of frequencies). Additional analyses were completed using a gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) to provide a more complete qualitative description of the oil composition. Analysis of the results from the 10-AU field fluorometer confirmed the capability of the field fluorometer to detect organic contamination resulting from crude and refined oil spills. Absorbance spectrometer results demonstrated possibility of using the PAH absorbance spectra to distinguish between the different types of oil, although more detailed analyses using various types of oil is recommended. The results using the luminescence spectrometer were consistent with GC FID results, and provided useful comparisons indicating the characteristics of fresh and weathered oil. The comparisons provide insight into the applicability of fluorometric approaches for characterizing transport pathways and concentrations of organic constituents associated with discharges of oil and other PAHs."

A novel method of controlling miniature sensors using Handspring Visor Prism PDA has been implemented. A generic motherboard was developed to map the data and address lines from the Visor onto a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD) to provide basic electrical signals to the sensor board. The sensor board housed the sensor and contained application specific circuitry. The PDA, the motherboard, and the sensor board completed the control mechanism for the sensor. Miniature sensors and PDA based control mechanism scaled down the size of the complete system making the unit portable. This unit facilitated a faster analysis of data on field. Two applications were targeted: Flurometer (bio-sensor) and Corner Cube Retroreflector (CCR-optical sensor for communication). A sensor board was developed to control a thermally regulated fluorometer undergoing the Nuclei Acid Synthesis Based Amplification (NASBA) process, which detected the fluorescence from the solution containing target RNA. NASBA runs were conducted using solution containing K. brevis- Red tide organisms to validate the interface of the PDA with a fluorometer. Real time fluorescence plot over time was obtained on the PDA indicating presence/absence of the target RNA; thus, it successfully interfaced the PDA with the fluorometer. Additionally, a sensor board was developed to control the electrostatic actuation mechanism of the MEMS based CCR. Efforts were made to fabricate the vertical mirrors of CCR using wet and dry fabrication techniques.

Niosomes are synthetic microscopic vesicles consisting of an aqueous core enclosed in a bilayer consisting of cholesterol and one or more nonionic surfactants. They are made of biocompatible, biodegradable, non-toxic, non-immunogenic and non-carcinogenic agents which form closed spherical structures (self assembly vesicles) upon hydration. With high resistance to hydrolytic degradation, niosomes are capable of entrapping many kinds of soluble drugs while exhibiting greater vesicle stability and longer shelf life. In this work, a potential drug delivery system has been designed, synthesized and characterized. For the synthesis of niosomes, a hydration process was developed with varying design parameters such as mass per batch, angle of evaporation, rotation speed of vacuum rotary evaporator and nitrogen flowrate to produce uniform thin film in 50 ml round bottom flask. The rehydration process was developed by varying the choice of solvents (H2O, phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and PBS/5(6)-carboxyfluorescein (CF) as a drug model) and hydrating temperature of below and above gel transition temperature. Lastly, a sonication process to produce unilamellar vesicles was partially optimized based on the particle distribution and the number of vesicles formed with sonication time. As a result of this process, unilamellar and multilamellar vesicles were formed with the combination of different nonionic surfactants (sorbitan monostearate-Span 60, sorbitan monopalmitate-Span40 and sorbitan monolaurate-Span20), cholesterol and an electrostatic stabilizer (dicetyl phosphate). The vesicles were examined using light scattering optical microscopy and UV microscopy. Optical sensing technology (Particle Sizing System) is used to determine the vesicles' size distribution. Gel exclusion chromatography (GEC) is discussed as a method to separate unencapsulated CF while retaining vesicle integrity. Particle Sizing System and luminescence spectrophotometer were used to determine CF encapsulation percentage and leakage. Result: Span 20, Span 40 and Span 60/Niosomes were made with mean particle size of 0.95-0.99 micro (mu)m. Typical concentrations of vesicle per ml/per mass of surfactant used were in the range of 1.46-1.79x108 . Typical encapsulation efficiencies were in the range of 48.8-62.9% for all three Span/Niosome systems. Niosomes were found to be stable for 9 days. The largest vesicles were observed with Span 60 with highest entrapment efficiency as compared to Span 20 and Span 40.

A simple and economical fluorometer using blue LEDs excitation sources and simple PMT detection had been built, assembled, optimized, and employed for measurement of fluorescence from riboflavin (vitamin B2). Surfactants have been known to enhance the intensity of fluorescence of fluorescent compounds. Fluorescence analysis of riboflavin in the presence of various anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactants was also conducted to determine if they could improve analysis. However, the surfactants employed did not seem to have any meaningful enhancement; in fact, some actually diminished the fluorescence intensity of riboflavin. The procedure was linear for riboflavin from 0.01 to 2.5 μg/mL. Reproducibility expressed as relative standard deviation was about 2%. The recoveries obtained range from 91.3% to 100.21% for the samples determined. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of riboflavin in commercial vitamin tablets and cereal products. The results obtained were consistent with expected values as provided by the manufacturers. The method is simple, sensitive, economical, and rapid.

Symbiotic dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium are critical to the success of scleractinian reef corals in shallow tropical seas. These symbionts are commonly isolated from hosts and cultured separately in liquid media (f/2 or ASP8a), but initial isolations can be prone to abundant contaminants that can persist long-term in culture. To help remove these contaminants, I developed a solid growth substrate composed of 1% f/2 medium in agar, supplemented with a variety of antibiotics, to help isolate individual clones and establish new ?axenic? cultures. I found that an antibiotic cocktail of kanamycin (50 µg/mL), ampicillin (100 µg/mL) and streptomycin (50 µg/mL) was the most effective at eliminating visual signs of contamination without apparent harm to a variety of Symbiodinium in culture. Photophysiological measurements of Symbiodinium grown on f/2 agar plates, taken using an Imaging Pulse Amplitude Modulated (I-PAM) fluorometer, were comparable with those grown in liquid f/2, both with and without antibiotics. Eight types of Symbiodinium in clades A-D grown on f/2 agar plates at low irradiance (19-46 µmol photons m-2 s-1) were exposed to higher irradiance conditions (50-90 µmol photons m-2s-1) for 13 days and their photosynthetic efficiencies (Fv/Fm) were compared using the I-PAM. There were significant differences among and within clades, except for two types in clade C (C2 and C3) which did not perform differently from eachother. All types showed reduced Fv/Fm after 12 days in higher light. Type D1a showed high mortality after 13 days of higher light stress. Finally, preliminary work to fluorescently label Symbiodinium determined that available vital stains were not generally practical for symbiosis studies. Attempts to transform Symbiodinium with a variety of plasmids containing fluorescent reporters and/or genes for antibiotic resistance were not successful, but did provide a baseline for future work. In summary, Symbiodinium cultures grown on solid substrates supplemented with antibiotics are useful for: (1) isolating individual cells or clones for subsequent applications and establishing and maintaining ?axenic? cultures that are free of observable contaminants; (2) directly comparing the photophysiology of different cultures using an I-PAM fluorometer; (3) quantifying cells on agar plates using the I-PAM and (4) selecting possible transgenic symbionts for symbiosis studies.

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att studera huruvida algen Ascophyllum Nodosum (AN) utövar någon effekt på proteasaktivitet i oralt plack, samt om effekten finns i algen från början eller om man måste inta den oralt för att få en systemisk effekt.En förhöjd proteasaktivitet har förknippats med gingivit och parodontit. Vi förväntar oss en minskad proteasaktivitet hos försökspersonerna, och därmed en minskad risk för gingivit och parodontit, efter intag av AN under en månads tid. Material och metod: Ett in vitro med en pilotstudie, och ett in vivo försök utfördes. I in vitro försöket användes pulveriserat och upplöst Ascophyllum Nodosum. I in vitro studien deltog 5 personer i åldersgruppen 20 till 30 år. Plackprover på försökspersonerna togs före och efter intag av algen i 4 veckor. Under båda försökstillfällena fick försökspersonerna inte ha borstat tänderna på 12h innan försöket. Resultat: Vid kombinering av pilotstudien och in vitro studien ses ingen signifikant skillnad gällande Ascophyllum Nodosums proteasaktivitet i pulveriserad form. Våra resultat erhållna från in vivo studien visar att det har skett en ökad proteasaktivitet i placket hos försökspersonerna efter en månads intag av Ascophyllum Nodosum. Konklusion: Denna studie visar på en tendens till en ökad proteasaktivitet orsakad av Ascophyllum nodosum. Studien har inte undersökt vilka proteaser som påverkats. På grund av komplexiteten i den orala miljön och de många olika typerna av proteaser, behöver fler studier utföras för att studera de exakta effekterna på den orala miljön. / Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate if the alga Ascophyllum Nodosum (AN) exerts any effect on protease activity in plaque, if such an effect is present in the algae from the beginning or if it has to be taken orally to exert a systemic effect.Increased protease activity has been associated with gingivitis and periodontitis. We expected a reduced protease activity, and thus a potentially reduced risk for gingivitis and periodontitis, after ingestion of AN for a month.Materials and methods: One in vitro trial with a pilot study, and one in vivo trial was carried out. In the in vitro trial pulverized and dissolved AN was used to make a solution, tested for protease activity.In the in vitro study 5 subjects, aged 20 to 30 years, participated. Plaque samples were taken before and after ingestion of the algae for 4 weeks. Subjects were instructed not to brush their teeth 12 h before sampling.Results: When combining the results from the pilot and in vitro studies, no AN protease activity could be detected. Our in vivo results showed an increased protease activity in the plaque after a month of AN intake.Conclusion: This study indicates a tendency to an increased protease activity caused by Ascophyllum Nodosum. However, the study did not examine which protease was affected. Because of the complexity in the oral environment and the many different types of protease, more studies need to be executed to study the exact effects of AN on the oral environment.

This study assessed the mycological and aflatoxin contamination of peanuts collected from Kinshasa, DRC and Pretoria, South Africa. Forty peanut samples were collected randomly at informal markets in the two cities and analysed for mycoflora and aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1 and G2) using standard methods. The results indicated that 95% and 100% of peanut samples collected from Kinshasa and Pretoria, respectively were contaminated with aflatoxigenic fungi with Kinshasa’s samples being the most contaminated (up to 49, 000 CFU/g). Seventy percent (70 %) of Kinshasa-samples and 35% of Pretoria-samples exceeded the maximum allowable limit of aflatoxin B1 set by JECFA (5 ppb). Statistical evidence showed a significant positive correlation between mycoflora and aflatoxin level for Kinshasa-samples (r = 0.4743, p < 0.005) while Pretoria-samples showed no correlation. The study reveals that high level of contamination in Kinshasa-samples could be due to the tropical nature of the climate and poor storage conditions as compared to Pretoria which is sub-tropical and sanitary regulations are enforced. / Life & Consumer Sciences / M. Sc. (Life Sciences)