Comportamento da oviposição de Cleruchoides noackae (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), parasitoide de ovos de Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae).

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Potencial de produtos naturais comerciais no controle de Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero & Dellapé (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae).

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Efeito de extratos vegetais sobre Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Carpintero & Dellapé) (Hemíptera: Thaumastocoridae).

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Structural insights into Clostridium perfringens delta toxin pore formation

Clostridium perfringens Delta toxin is one of the three hemolysin-like proteins produced by C. perfringens type C and possibly type B strains. One of the others, NetB, has been shown to be the major cause of Avian Nectrotic Enteritis, which following the reduction in use of antibiotics as growth promoters, has become an emerging disease of industrial poultry. Delta toxin itself is cytotoxic to the wide range of human and animal macrophages and platelets that present GM2 ganglioside on their membranes. It has sequence similarity with Staphylococcus aureus β-pore forming toxins and is expected to heptamerize and form pores in the lipid bilayer of host cell membranes. Nevertheless, its exact mode of action remains undetermined. Here we report the 2.4 Å crystal structure of monomeric Delta toxin. The superposition of this structure with the structure of the phospholipid-bound F component of S. aureus leucocidin (LukF) revealed that the glycerol molecules bound to Delta toxin and the phospholipids in LukF are accommodated in the same hydrophobic clefts, corresponding to where the toxin is expected to latch onto the membrane, though the binding sites show significant differences. From structure-based sequence alignment with the known structure of staphylococcal α-hemolysin, a model of the Delta toxin pore form has been built. Using electron microscopy, we have validated our model and characterized the Delta toxin pore on liposomes. These results highlight both similarities and differences in the mechanism of Delta toxin (and by extension NetB) cytotoxicity from that of the staphylococcal pore-forming toxins

Are Botanical Biopesticides Safe for Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea)?

The recent global decline in insect populations is of particular concern for pollinators. Wild and managed bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) are of primary environmental and economic importance because of their role in pollinating cultivated and wild plants, and synthetic pesticides are among the major factors contributing to their decline. Botanical biopesticides may be a viable alternative to synthetic pesticides in plant defence due to their high selectivity and short environmental persistence. In recent years, scientific progress has been made to improve the development and effectiveness of these products. However, knowledge regarding their adverse effects on the environment and non-target species is still scarce, especially when compared to that of synthetic products. Here, we summarize the studies concerning the toxicity of botanical biopesticides on the different groups of social and solitary bees. We highlight the lethal and sublethal effects of these products on bees, the lack of a uniform protocol to assess the risks of biopesticides on pollinators, and the scarcity of studies on specific groups of bees, such as the large and diverse group of solitary bees. Results show that botanical biopesticides cause lethal effects and a large number of sublethal effects on bees. However, the toxicity is limited when comparing the effects of these compounds with those of synthetic compounds

Teatro na Escola: Espaciotempo do Pensamento e da Sensibilidade

Neste artigo pretendemos divulgar uma pesquisa cuja temática tratou das significações emergentes de uma experiência estética realizada com professoras de educação básica, visando contemplar a educação do sensível por meio de atividades teatrais com foco no desenvolvimento perceptivo

Eficiência de Beauveria bassiana Vuill. e Isaria sp. para o controle de Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero & Dellapé (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae).

A busca por informações para o controle de Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae) em Eucalyptus concentra-se no uso de técnicas de controle biológico, entre elas, o uso de fungos entomopatogênicos. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho, foi avaliar a patogenicidade de isolados de Beauveria bassiana e Isaria sp. sobre Thaumastocoris peregrinus em condições de laboratório. Para isto, foram testados quatro isolados de Beauveria bassiana e um isolado de Isaria sp. na concentração de 1,0 × 108 conídios.mL-1. A solução foi aplicada sobre folhas de Eucalyptus camaldulensis, fornecidas como substrato de alimentação aos insetos, e mantidas em frascos de vidro vedados com filme plástico em câmara climatizada (26 ± 2°C, 14 h de fotofase e U.R. de 70 ± 10%). Foram realizadas quatro repetições (frascos) por isolado com 13 insetos adultos por frasco. As avaliações foram realizadas até o quinto dia após a aplicação. Os insetos mortos foram colocados em câmara úmida para a confirmação da morte pelo patógeno. Todos os isolados foram patogênicos a Thaumastocoris peregrinus. A mortalidade confirmada variou entre 37% e 80,1% para Beauveria bassiana, e foi de 87% para Isaria sp. após 10 dias da aplicação. O maior percentual médio de mortalidade diária (39,9%) ocorreu no quarto dia após o contato do inseto com o substrato pulverizado. Os isolados de Beauveria bassiana e de Isaria sp. avaliados apresentam potencial para o controle de Thaumastocoris peregrinus em laboratório