Template and catalytic effects of DNA in the construction of polypyrrole/DNA composite macro and microelectrodes.

Electrochemical DNA hybridization-based sensors show great promise as portable and automated analytical devices for routine screening of pathogenic or foreign nucleic acid sequences in biological samples. However, current sensor technologies still exhibit some unresolved issues which hampers their direct application into everyday life. Conducting polymers, such as polypyrrole (PPy), are increasingly being adopted as suitable platforms for DNA probe immobilization and signal transduction. Immobilization of DNA probes during pyrrole electropolymerization is a simple and efficient strategy to build composite electrodes suitable for DNA sensing. However, the effects of the probe state and sequence on PPy growth kinetics have not been studied yet. Here, we show that growth of PPy is drastically affected by the presence of guanine in the DNA probes and whether DNA is present in its single-stranded or double-stranded form. We show that some immobilization protocols may provoke irreversible oxidation of guanine moieties in the probe and that this issue deserves careful investigation as it may interfere with hybridization processes. We have also explored new procedures to build microelectrode arrays bearing immobilized DNA molecules, which are known to show beneficial properties in stirred samples. Overall, we present new techniques and concerns regarding the development of DNA-containing PPy-based composite electrodes, which may be taken into consideration for increasing genosensor reproducibility, response and performance.

Heritability and correlation among some selected morphological traits and their relationship with fall armyworm damage in sweet corn.

Fall armyworm [Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith] (FAW) is a serious pest in field corn and sweet corn [Zea mays L.] in many parts of the world. Sweet corn germplasm with effective levels of resistance to damage by the fall armyworm is needed to transfer resistance to commercial hybrids. The objectives of this study were to estimate heritability and to estimate the correlation among some selected morphological traits and their relationship with FAW damage. Seven shrunken-2 (sh2) inbred lines and four commercial sh2 hybrids of sweet corn were crossed to Mp708, a FAW-resistant field corn line. The F2 populations were subdivided with one half being selected for the sh2 trait and the other half was left unselected. Parent, F2, and F3 populations were artificially infested with FAW and evaluated for leaf damage caused by FAW. Heritability estimates for FAW resistance ranged from 0.22 to 0.61 depending on method of estimation used. The highest correlations occurred between silk color and anther color (0.70) and silk color and glume color (0.49). There were no consistent correlations of most morphological traits with FAW damage. A linkage between white silk and shrunken-2 was observed.

Heritability and correlation among some selected morphological traits and their relationship with fall armyworm damage in sweet corn.

Fall armyworm [Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith] (FAW) is a serious pest in field corn and sweet corn [Zea mays L.] in many parts of the world. Sweet corn germplasm with effective levels of resistance to damage by the fall armyworm is needed to transfer resistance to commercial hybrids. The objectives of this study were to estimate heritability and to estimate the correlation among some selected morphological traits and their relationship with FAW damage. Seven shrunken-2 (sh2) inbred lines and four commercial sh2 hybrids of sweet corn were crossed to Mp708, a FAW-resistant field corn line. The F2 populations were subdivided with one half being selected for the sh2 trait and the other half was left unselected. Parent, F2, and F3 populations were artificially infested with FAW and evaluated for leaf damage caused by FAW. Heritability estimates for FAW resistance ranged from 0.22 to 0.61 depending on method of estimation used. The highest correlations occurred between silk color and anther color (0.70) and silk color and glume color (0.49). There were no consistent correlations of most morphological traits with FAW damage. A linkage between white silk and shrunken-2 was observed.

Heritability and correlation among some selected morphological traits and their relationship with fall armyworm damage in sweet corn

ABSTRACT: Fall armyworm [Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith] (FAW) is a serious pest in field corn and sweet corn [Zea mays L.] in many parts of the world. Sweet corn germplasm with effective levels of resistance to damage by the fall armyworm is needed to transfer resistance to commercial hybrids. The objectives of this study were to estimate heritability and to estimate the correlation among some selected morphological traits and their relationship with FAW damage. Seven shrunken-2 (sh2) inbred lines and four commercial sh2 hybrids of sweet corn were crossed to Mp708, a FAW-resistant field corn line. The F2 populations were subdivided with one half being selected for the sh2 trait and the other half was left unselected. Parent, F2, and F3 populations were artificially infested with FAW and evaluated for leaf damage caused by FAW. Heritability estimates for FAW resistance ranged from 0.22 to 0.61 depending on method of estimation used. The highest correlations occurred between silk color and anther color (0.70) and silk color and glume color (0.49). There were no consistent correlations of most morphological traits with FAWdamage. A linkage between white silk and shrunken-2 was observed.

Heritability and correlation among some selected morphological traits and their relationship with fall armyworm damage in sweet corn

Fall armyworm [Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith] (FAW) is a serious pest in field corn and sweet corn [Zea mays L.] in many parts of the world. Sweet corn germplasm with effective levels of resistance to damage by the fall armyworm is needed to transfer resistance to commercial hybrids. The objectives of this study were to estimate heritability and to estimate the correlation among some selected morphological traits and their relationship with FAW damage. Seven shrunken-2 (sh2) inbred lines and four commercial sh2 hybrids of sweet corn were crossed to Mp708, a FAW-resistant field corn line. The F2 populations were subdivided with one half being selected for the sh2 trait and the other half was left unselected. Parent, F2, and F3 populations were artificially infested with FAW and evaluated for leaf damage caused by FAW. Heritability estimates for FAW resistance ranged from 0.22 to 0.61 depending on method of estimation used. The highest correlations occurred between silk color and anther color (0.70) and silk color and glume color (0.49). There were no consistent correlations of most morphological traits with FAW damage. A linkage between white silk and shrunken-2 was observed

Qualidade total em saúde / Total quality in health

As boas organizaçöes atuantes na área da saúde, por razöes óbvias, sempre tiveram uma séria preocupaçäo com a qualidade dos serviços que prestam. Porém, nem sempre se deu à questäo o tratamento abrangente que ela deve merecer. Hoje os sistemas de saúde säo complexos e englobam funçöes bastante diversificadas, além daquelas da área médica e das áreas mais imediatamente relacionadas. Estava fazendo falta um livro que orientasse os administradores de saúde na implantaçäo de processos e programas de qualidade, com um enfoque abrangente, sistemático e racional. Eis uma boa contribuiçäo nesse aspecto, a presente obra

Qualidade total em saúde

As boas organizações atuantes na área da saúde, por razões óbvias, sempre tiveram uma séria preocupação com a qualidade dos serviços que prestam. Porém, nem sempre se deu à questão o tratamento abrangente que ela deve merecer. Hoje os sistemas de saúde são complexos e englobam funções bastante diversificadas, além daquelas da área médica e das áreas mais imediatamente relacionadas. Estava fazendo falta um livro que orientasse os administradores de saúde na implantação de processos e programas de qualidade, com um enfoque abrangente, sistemático e racional. Eis uma boa contribuição nesse aspecto, a presente obra.