Effect of mating delay on the ovary of Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides (Hymenoptera: Apidae) queens

The effect of mating delay on the ovary structure of virgin queens of Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was investigated. Virgin queens 15, 20, 25 and 30 days old were dissected to analyze their degree of ovary degeneration. To verify whether the degeneration would cause permanent sterility, virgin queens of the same ages (15, 20, 25 and 30 days) were mated and accompanied for at least 14 days to verify whether there was physogastry and then dissected. The ovaries were analyzed by histology, histochemical tests and TUNEL to verify programmed cell death. The results showed that mating delay interrupted oogenesis preventing vitellogenesis. Mating delay results in ovary degeneration which increased with queen age. However, even when there was ovariole degeneration, 25-day-old virgin queens after mating presented normal ovariole activation.     

Revisiting Proteasome Inhibitors: Molecular Underpinnings of Their Development,Mechanisms of Resistance and Strategies to Overcome Anti-Cancer Drug Resistance

Proteasome inhibitors have shown relevant clinical activity in several hematological malignancies, namely in multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma, improving patient outcomes such as survival and quality of life, when compared with other therapies. However, initial response to the therapy is a challenge as most patients show an innate resistance to proteasome inhibitors, and those that respond to the therapy usually develop late relapses suggesting the development of acquired resistance. The mechanisms of resistance to proteasome inhibition are still controversial and scarce in the literature. In this review, we discuss the development of proteasome inhibitors and the mechanisms of innate and acquired resistance to their activity—a major challenge in preclinical and clinical therapeutics. An improved understanding of these mechanisms is crucial to guiding the design of new and more effective drugs to tackle these devastating diseases. In addition, we provide a comprehensive overview of proteasome inhibitors used in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents, as this is a key strategy to combat resistance.     

Pulsed Nd:YAG laser welding of AISI 304 to AISI 420 stainless steels

The technique to weld AISI 304 stainless steel to AISI 420 stainless steel with a pulsed Nd:YAG laser has been investigated. The main objective of this study was to determine the influence of the laser beam position, with respect to the joint, on weld characteristics. Specimens were welded with the laser beam incident on the joint and moved 0.1 and 0.2 mm on either side of the joint. The joints were examined in an optical microscope for cracks, pores and to determine the weld geometry. The microstructure of the weld and the heat affected zones were observed in a scanning electron microscope. An energy dispersive spectrometer, coupled to the scanning electron microscope, was used to determine variations in (weight %) the main chemical elements across the fillet weld. Vickers microhardness testing and tensile testing were carried out to determine the mechanical properties of the weld. The results of the various tests and examinations enabled definition of the best position for the incident laser beam with respect to the joint, for welding together the two stainless steels.     

Optical studies of ZnO nanocrystals doped with Eu3+ ions

Synthetic ZnO nanocrystals have been intentionally doped with Eu³⁺ ions. Structural analysis performed on the nanocrystals showed wurtzite-ZnO as the only phase present in the samples. Photoluminescence in emission and excitation modes allows the assignment of the intra-4f⁶ transitions for the Eu³⁺ ions. From the analysis of the optical data we are able to demonstrate that multiple Eu-related optical centres are present in the studied samples. Oxygen vacancies are likely candidates to be responsible for the ion accommodation in the ZnO lattice and from the photoluminescence excitation data we tentatively assign a trap level at ∼200 meV below the conduction band to this intrinsic defect. PACS 78.66.Hf; 78.67.-n; 82.80.Yc     

Thermal behavior and evolution of the mineral phases of Brazilian red mud

This article studied the thermal behavior and the evolution of the crystalline phases with temperature of the red mud (bauxite tailing) from an aluminum industry at Maranhão, North-Northwestern Brazil. The experiments were carried out by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Simultaneous Thermal Analysis (TG–DSC), Optical Dilatometry up to 1623 K, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) of previously heated samples between 523 and 1523 K. The crystalline phases and the amorphous contents were quantified on raw and heated samples (at 1523 K) according to the Rietveld Quantitative Analysis (RQA) method. The data obtained showed that the raw red mud is composed by a mixture of seven different phases (hematite, goethite, sodalite, anatase, gibbsite, calcite, and amorphous). Finally in the interval of 1023–1523 K the following crystalline phases: hematite, nepheline, sodalite, anatase, perovskite, and pseudobrookite have been observed.     

Influence of the atomic structure on the Raman spectra of graphite edges

A study of step edges in graphite with different atomic structures combining Raman spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy is presented. The orientation of the carbon hexagons with respect to the edge axis, in the so-called armchair or zigzag arrangements, is distinguished spectroscopically by the intensity of a disorder-induced Raman peak. This effect is explained by applying the double resonance theory to a semi-infinite graphite crystal and by considering the one-dimensional character of the defect.     

Phosphate diester hydrolysis and DNA damage promoted by new cis-aqua/hydroxy copper(II) complexes containing tridentate imidazole-rich ligands

The tridentate Schiff base [(2-(imidazol-4-yl)ethyl)(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)methyl)imine (HISMIMI) and its reduced form HISMIMA were synthesized and characterized, as well their mononuclear cis-dihalo copper(II) complexes 1 and 2, respectively. In addition, the dinuclear [CuII(mu-OH)2CuII](2+) complexes (3) and (4) obtained from complexes 1 and 2, respectively, were also isolated and characterized by several physicochemical techniques, including magnetochemistry, electrochemistry, and EPR and UV-vis spectroscopies. The crystal structures of 1 and 2 were determined by X-ray crystallography and revealed two neutral complexes with their tridentate chelate ligands meridionally coordinated. Completing the coordination spheres of the square-pyramidal structures, a chloride ion occupies the apical position and another is bonded in the basal plane. In addition, complexes 1 and 2 were investigated by infrared, electronic, and EPR spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry, and potentiometric equilibrium studies. The hydrolytic activity on phosphate diester cleavage of 1 and 2 was investigated utilizing 2,4-BDNPP as substrate. These experiments were carried out at 50 degrees C, and the data treatment was based on the Michaelis-Menten approach, giving the following kinetic parameters (complex 1/complex 2): vmax (mol L(-1) s(-1))=16.4x10(-9)/7.02x10(-9); KM (mol L(-1))=17.3x10(-3)/3.03x10(-3); kcat (s(-1))=3.28x10(-4)/1.40x10(-4). Complex 1 effectively promoted the hydrolytic cleavage of double-strand plasmid DNA under anaerobic and aerobic conditions, with a rate constant of 0.28 h(-1) for the decrease of form I, which represents about a 10(7) rate increase compared with the estimated uncatalyzed rate of hydrolysis.     

Min-max theory,Willmore conjecture and the energy of links

In this paper we give an overview of some aspects of the min-max theory of minimal surfaces, and discuss recent applications to conformally invariant problems in Geometry and Topology. The goal is to explain what the proofs of the Willmore conjecture for surfaces and the Freedman-He-Wang conjecture for links share in common. This is based on joint work of the authors [19] and on joint work of I. Agol and the authors [1].