12,524 research outputs found
A new species of Aleurolobus Quaintance et Baker (Homoptera, Aleyrodidae) from Southern Europe.
No full textAleurolobus teucrii n. sp. is described from southern Italy and the Maltese Islands (Central Mediterranean). The species seems to be monophagous on Teucrium fruticans L. A key to the European species of this genus (A. niloticus Priesner et Hosny, A. olivinus (Silvestri), A. wunni (Ryberg) and A. teucrii n. sp.) is provided.peer-reviewe
Mosquito Larvicidal Constituents from Lantana Viburnoides SP Viburnoides Var Kisi (A. rich) Verdc (Verbenaceae).
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Lantana viburnoides sp viburnoides var kisi is used in Tanzania ethnobotanically to repel mosquitoes as well as in traditional medicine for stomach ache relief. Bioassay-guided fractionation and subtraction bioassays of the dichloromethane extract of the root barks were carried out in order to identify the bioactive components for controlling Anopheles gambiae s.s. mosquito larvae. Twenty late III or early IV instar larvae of An. gambiae s.s. were exposed to various concentrations of the plant extracts, fractions, blends and pure compounds, and were assayed in the laboratory by using the protocol of WHO 1996. Mean mortalities were compared using Dunnett's test (p < 0.05) and lethal concentration calculated by Lackfit Inversel of the SAS programme. The crude extract (LC50 = 7.70 ppm in 72 h) and fractions exhibited different level of mosquito larvicidal activity with subtraction of some fractions resulting in activity enhancement. The active fractions contained furanonaphthaquinones regio-isomers (LC50 = 5.48-5.70 ppm in 72 h) and the lantadene triterpenoid camaric acid (LC50 = 6.19 ppm in 72 h) as active principles while the lupane triterpenoid betulinic acid (LC50 < 10 ppm in 72 h) was obtained from the least active fraction. Crude extracts and some fractions had higher or comparable larvicidal activity to the pure compounds. These results demonstrate that L. viburnoides sp viburnoides var kisi extracts may serve as larvicides for managing various mosquito habitats even in their semi-purified form. The isolated compounds can be used as distinct markers in the active extracts or plant materials belonging to the genus Lantana
Thermotoga lettingae sp. nov., a novel thermophilic, methanol-degrading bacterium isolated from a thermophilic anaerobic reactor
No full textA novel, anaerobic, non-spore-forming, mobile, Gram-negative, thermophilic bacterium, strain TMO(T), was isolated from a thermophilic sulfate-reducing bioreactor operated at 65 degrees C with methanol as the sole substrate. The G C content of the DNA of strain TMO(T) was 39.2 molÐThe optimum pH, NaCl concentration, and temperature for growth were 7.0, 1.0°and 65 degrees C, respectively. Strain TMO(T) was able to degrade methanol to CO(2) and H(2) in syntrophic culture with Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus DeltaH or Thermodesulfovibrio yellowstonii. Thiosulfate, elemental sulfur, Fe(III) and anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate were able to serve as electron acceptors during methanol degradation. In the presence of thiosulfate or elemental sulfur, methanol was converted to CO(2) and partly to alanine. In pure culture, strain TMO(T) was also able to ferment methanol to acetate, CO(2) and H(2). However, this degradation occurred slower than in syntrophic cultures or in the presence of electron acceptors. Yeast extract was required for growth. Besides growing on methanol, strain TMO(T) grew by fermentation on a variety of carbohydrates including monomeric and oligomeric sugars, starch and xylan. Acetate, alanine, CO(2), H(2), and traces of ethanol, lactate and alpha-aminobutyrate were produced during glucose fermentation. Comparison of 16S rDNA genes revealed that strain TMO(T) is related to Thermotoga subterranea (98€and Thermotoga elfii (98Ž The type strain is TMO(T) (=DSM 14385(T)=ATCC BAA-301(T)). On the basis of the fact that these organisms differ physiologically from strain TMO(T), it is proposed that strain TMO(T) be classified as a new species, within the genus Thermotoga, as Thermotoga lettingae
Virtual patients design and its effect on clinical reasoning and student experience : a protocol for a randomised factorial multi-centre study
No full textBackground
Virtual Patients (VPs) are web-based representations of realistic clinical cases. They are proposed as being an optimal method for teaching clinical reasoning skills. International standards exist which define precisely what constitutes a VP. There are multiple design possibilities for VPs, however there is little formal evidence to support individual design features. The purpose of this trial is to explore the effect of two different potentially important design features on clinical reasoning skills and the student experience. These are the branching case pathways (present or absent) and structured clinical reasoning feedback (present or absent).
Methods/Design
This is a multi-centre randomised 2x2 factorial design study evaluating two independent variables of VP design, branching (present or absent), and structured clinical reasoning feedback (present or absent).The study will be carried out in medical student volunteers in one year group from three university medical schools in the United Kingdom, Warwick, Keele and Birmingham. There are four core musculoskeletal topics. Each case can be designed in four different ways, equating to 16 VPs required for the research. Students will be randomised to four groups, completing the four VP topics in the same order, but with each group exposed to a different VP design sequentially. All students will be exposed to the four designs. Primary outcomes are performance for each case design in a standardized fifteen item clinical reasoning assessment, integrated into each VP, which is identical for each topic. Additionally a 15-item self-reported evaluation is completed for each VP, based on a widely used EViP tool. Student patterns of use of the VPs will be recorded.
In one centre, formative clinical and examination performance will be recorded, along with a self reported pre and post-intervention reasoning score, the DTI. Our power calculations indicate a sample size of 112 is required for both primary outcomes
Research on human erythrocyte antigens in nail monkeys (Sapajus sp) and in howler monkeys (Alouatta sp)
No full textPesquisaram-se 28 antígenos eritrocitários pertencentes aos sistemas de grupos sanguíneos humanos ABO, H, Rh, Kell, Duffy, Kidd, Lewis, P, MNS, Lutheran e Diego, nos eritrócitos de 9 macacos-prego (Sapajus sp) e 10 macacos bugios (Alouatta sp).A maioria dos antígenos humanos pesquisados não foi observada nos 2gêneros de macacos, correspondendo a 19/28 antígenos negativosnos Sapajus sp, e 20/28 antígenos negativosnos Alouatta sp. A fenotipagem eritrocitária foi bastante semelhante em cada grupo de animais, sendo que 5 macacos-prego diferiram dos outros 4 apenasno sistema ABO, e 3 macacos bugios diferiram dos demais 7somente no sistema MNS.Houve diferenças antigênicasentre os gênerosem apenas4 sistemas de grupos pesquisados (P, ABO, Rh, MNS). Constataram-se, nos animais, alguns antígenos eritrocitários com frequências semelhantes e outros com frequências opostas às observadas em humanos ou etnias humanas. Em comparação comestudos prévios envolvendo macacos-prego e macacos bugios, observou-se concordância quanto à presença ou ausência de alguns antígenos eritrocitários, e discordância em relação a outros.Que seja do nosso conhecimento, o presente estudo é o mais completo já realizado quanto ao número de antígenos eritrocitários pesquisados em macacos do Novo Mundo, especialmenteem macacos brasileiros.The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of 28 erythrocyte antigens of 11 human blood groups systems (ABO, H, Rh, Kell, Duffy, Kidd, Lewis, P, MNS, Lutheran and Diego) on erythrocytes of 9 nail monkeys (Sapajus sp) and 10 howler monkeys (Alouatta sp). Most of the human erythrocyte antigens were not observed in the 2 generaof monkeys, corresponding to 19/28 negative antigens in Sapajus sp, and 20/28 negative antigens in Alouatta sp. Erythrocyte phenotyping was very similar in each group, being that 5 nail monkeys differed from the other 4 only for the ABO system, and 3 howler monkeys differed from the other 7 only for the MNS system.Antigenic differences between the 2 generawere observed only for 4 blood groups systems (P, ABO, Rh, MNS). This study revealed that some monkey erythrocyte antigens were similar in frequency, and others werein opposite frequency from those observed in human or human ethnicities.When this study is compared with previous similar studies some concordance and some disagreement of findings are found, but as far as we known our study is the most complete in relation to the number of investigated erythrocyte antigens in New World monkeys, specially in the Brazilian ones
Data Science Education: The Signal Processing Perspective [SP Education]
No full textIn the last decade, the signal processing (SP) community has witnessed a paradigm shift from model-based to data-driven methods. Machine learning (ML) - more specifically, deep learning - methodologies are nowadays widely used in all SP fields, e.g., audio, speech, image, video, multimedia, and multimodal/multisensor processing, to name a few. Many data-driven methods also incorporate domain knowledge to improve problem modeling, especially when computational burden, training data scarceness, and memory size are important constraints.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Signal Processing System
Screening of biodiesel production from waste tuna oil (Thunnus sp.), seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii and Gracilaria sp.
No full textBiodiesel has several advantages over solar. Compared to solar, biodiesel has more eco-friendly characteristic
and produces lower greenhouse gas emissions. Biodiesel that is made from animal fats can be produced from fish oil,
while other alternative sources from vegetable oils are seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii and Gracilaria sp. Waste tuna oil
(Thunnus sp.) in Indonesia is commonly a side product of tuna canning industries known as tuna precook oil; on the other
hand, seaweed Gracilaria sp. and Kappaphycus alvarezii are commonly found in Indonesia’s seas. Seaweed waste that
was used in the present study was 100 kg and in wet condition, and the waste oil was 10 liter. The seaweed was extracted
with soxhletation method that used n-hexane as the solvent. To produce biodiesel, trans esterification was performed on
the seaweed oil that was obtained from the soxhletation process and waste tuna oil. Biodiesel manufactured from
seaweed K. alvarezii obtained the best score in flash point, freezing point, and viscosity test. However, according to level
of manufacturing efficiency, biodiesel from waste tuna oil is more efficient and relatively easier compared to biodiesel
from waste K. alvarezii and Gracilaria sp
Fig. 6. (a) Streptomyces sp. strain AF1 (left, Author collection) and (b) Streptomyces rochei strain AB1 (right, compared to [24])
No full textStreptomyces sp. strain AF1 (left, Author collection) and (b) Streptomyces rochei strain AB1 (right, compared to [24]
Battle of powers: Brazil: from democratic transition to constitutional resilience
No full textIn the context of strong political polarization, intensification of distributive conflicts and clashes among powers - which have permeated Brazilian political life in the last decade - , the country has experienced profound constitutional malaise. Oscar Vilhena Vieira provides us in this book with an analysis of the Brazilian institutional crises with sobriety and erudition. An acute observer of the process of constitutionalization of the Brazilian political life, the author points to the fundamental role of consensual political model adopted by the 1988 Constitution to enable and defend the rules of the democratic order
A pneumococcal MerR-like regulator and S-nitrosoglutathione reductase are required for systemic virulence
No full textCopyright © 2007 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.A transcriptional regulator, NmlR(sp), has been identified in Streptococcus pneumoniae that is required for defense against nitric oxide (NO) stress. The nmlR(sp) gene is cotranscribed with adhC, which encodes an alcohol dehydrogenase that is able to reduce S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) with NADH as reductant. nmlR(sp) and adhC mutants exhibited a reduced level of NADH-GSNO oxidoreductase activity and were more susceptible to killing by NO than were wild-type cells. Comparison of the virulence of wild-type and mutant strains by use of a mouse model system showed that NmlR(sp) and AdhC do not play a key role in the adherence of pneumococci to the nasopharynx in vivo. An intraperitoneal challenge experiment revealed that both NmlR(sp) and AdhC were required for survival in blood. These data identify novel components of a NO defense system in pneumococci that are required for systemic infection.Uwe H. Stroeher, Robert S. Kidd, Sian L. Stafford, Michael P. Jennings, James C. Paton and Alastair G. McEwa
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