18,137 research outputs found
Cynolebias alexandri Castello & Lopez 1974, sp. nov.
No full text<p> <i>Cynolebias alexandri</i> Castello & Lopez, <i>sp. nov. *</i></p> <p> <i>Holotype male;</i> Ichthyol.; M.A.C.N. #6438 (total length 44 mm; standard length 36 mm). Type locality: Parque Unzue, Gualeguaychu, Provincia de Entre Rios. Collector: Mr. R. Barbetti, 13/X/1972.</p> <p> <i>Allotype female:</i> M.A.C.N. #6439 (total length 41 mm; standard length 32 mm). Same locality and data as holotype.</p> <p> <i>Paratypes:</i> #1-4 (1 male, 3 females): M.A.C.N. #6437 (total lengths 41- 29 mm; standard lengths 32- 23 mm). Locality: Gualeguaychu, Provincia de Entre Rios. Coll.: Mr.J.O. Fernandez-Santo, and Mr. J. Castelli. 20 /VII/1972.</p> <p>#5-11 (4 males, 3 females): M.A.C.N. #6425 (total lengths 53-82 mm; standard lengths 43- 24 mm). Locality: As in the holotype.</p> <p> • C. <i>alexandri</i> is so named by request of aquarists Fernandez-Santo and Castelli, from Buenos Aires, who discovered the species at Entre Rios, Argentina.</p> <p>#12-18 (5 males. 2 females): M.A.C.N. #2738 (total lengths 33- 27 mm; standard lengths 26- 21 mm). Locality: Gualeguaychu, Provincia de Entre Rios. Coll.: Miss M.L Elizalde. 17/IV/1941.</p> <p> <i>Diagnosis:</i> Males with 7-10 dark vertical bars on the grayish green sides of the body, not counting the one passing through the eye; dorsal and anal fins begin on second of total length; a small dark spot on the first three dorsal rays, less conspicuous than one on the anal fin; ins reddish; body long and thin. Dorsal fin of female begins about middle of body; females without vertical bars.</p> <p> <i>Males:</i> Dorsal rays 22-24 <i>Females:</i> Dorsal rays 17-18</p> <p>Anal rays 21-24 Anal rays 18-19</p> <p> <i>Description of Holotype male:</i> Standard length 36 mm. Head 3.6 in standard length; eye 4.0 in head and 1.5 in interorbital space. Pectoral fin with 11 rays, short, almost equal to head length. Dorsal fin with 24 rays, originating on second third of body length about over tip of pectoral fin, its height 1.4 in head length and its base 2.3 in standard length. Anal fin with 24 rays, beginning precisely between third and fourth vertical bars; fin slightly higher than, and with its base almost equal to, that of the dorsal fin. Caudal fin with 21 rays, rounded. Twenty-six scales along a mid-longitudinal line.</p> <p>The vertical bars are placed as follows: a short one below the eye, rather wide, but narrower above; eight black bars on right side, the first at pectoral fin base, the second on the end of the same fin. the third ending ventrally at the anal origin, the fourth to the seventh extending from the dorsal to the anal fins, the eighth inconspicuous and encircling the caudal peduncle. The first to seventh bars are increasingly wider and curved toward the direction of the head; the seventh is almost straight. These bars are almost vertical on the left side.</p> <p> <i>Description of the Allotype:</i> Standard length 32 mm. Head 3.2 in standard length; eye 3.5 in head and 1.3 in interorbital space. Pectoral fin with 10 rays, 1.2 in head length. Dorsal fin with 19 rays, originating in the middle of the body like the anal fin, its height 1.8 in head length and its base almost equal to the head. Anal fin with 21 rays, deeper than the dorsal fin, 1,5 in head length, and its base 1.2 in head length. Caudal fin with 22 rays, rounded.</p> <p>The color pattern consists of dark irregular spots, especially on the posterior half of the body.</p> <p> <i>Color of live males:</i> The background color is a delicate gray-greenish with 7-10 darkish vertical bars, some of them curved, from the posterior margin of the opercle to the caudal peduncle; they are narrower than the light interspaces. A bar just behind the opercle is incomplete and inconspicuous. An oblique bar crosses the jaw and reaches the upper edge of the orbit. There is an opercular spot of iridescent grayish color. When males are resting or not excited, the bars are less evident except for the first three or those placed before the dorsal and anal fins.</p> <p>The fins are black in formalin-preserved specimens, blue in live animals. There are small darkish spots alternating with translucent spaces on the base of the dorsal fin and continuous with the vertical bars. From the spots, two lines of chromatophores bifurcate, each one superimposed with a dorsal fin ray. The first three dorsal and anal fin rays are darkly pigmented, the pectoral fins are translucent, and the pelvic fins black. The dorsal, anal, and caudal fins of an excited specimen exhibited small greenish ocelli against a dark blue background. The anal fin is fringed by an iridescent greenish band.</p> <p> <i>Color of live females:</i> The females are brown with small irregular darkish spots all over the body, more evident on the posterior half of the body. They do not exhibit vertical bars like the males, nor the two caudal peduncle spots as in the case of <i>C. adloffi</i> from Brazil. A short bar passes through the eye. The vertical fins are spotted.</p> <p> <i>Comparisons: Cynolebias alexandri</i> is most closely related to (<i>C</i>. <i>adloffi</i>, <i>C. viarius</i>, <i>C. cheradophilus</i>, and <i>C. luteoflammulatus.</i> but differs from these in details of color pattern and in fins. These species are contrasted in the accompanying table. <i>C. alexandri s</i> eems to be closest to <i>C</i>. <i>luteoflammulatus,</i> males having a grayish-green background color instead of orangish as in <i>C. luteoflammulatus.</i> In female <i>C. luteoflammulatus</i> the dorsal origin is at the second third of the body as in the male; <i>C. alexandri</i> is sexually dimorphic in this character, the female dorsal originating at mid body, the male at the second third.</p> <p> We wish to express our gratitude for the invaluable assistance of our colleagues and to aquarists J.O. Fernandez-Santo and J. Castelli from Buenos Aires, Argentina; also to Dr. R. Vaz Ferreira from Montevideo and to Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod of T.F.H. Publications, who aided us in the recognition and description of this new species <i>Cynolebias.</i></p>Published as part of <i>Castello, Hugo Patricio & Lopez, Rogelio Bartolome, 1974, Cynolebias alexandri, a new species of annual killifish from Argentina, with notes on C. bellottii, pp. 34-40 in Tropical Fish Hobbyist 23 (1)</i> on pages 35-40, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/11130390">10.5281/zenodo.11130390</a>
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
Anacroneuria Novaes & Vilela & Lopez & Ferreira 2018
No full textAnacroneuria sp. 1 Material examined. BR, MG, SCNP, 1 nymph, main spring of São Francisco River (20.2436, -46.4464), 19.x.2017, GFT, MZSP. Remarks. It is not presently possible to identify specifically the nymph of this taxon collected from this spring. The general habitus including the coloration appears to be different from other nymphs studied from this area. Associated male adults will be necessary for positive identification.Published as part of Novaes, Marcos Carneiro, Vilela, Diogo Silva, Lopez, Vinicius Marques & Ferreira, Rhainer Guillermo Nascimento, 2018, Certain species of Plecoptera from the headwater springs of National Integration River (São Francisco), Brazil, pp. 195-200 in Zootaxa 4429 (1) on page 197, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4429.1.13, http://zenodo.org/record/127973
Does strict employment protection discourage job creation? Evidence from Croatia
No full textEmployment protection legislation in Croatia is among the most strict in Europe. Firing is difficult and costly, and flexible forms of employment are limited. Is this apparent rigidity reflected-as one would expect based on standard economic theory-in low labor market dynamics? Is job creation low and hiring limited? Is the job security of insiders achieved at the cost of outsiders not being able to enter thelabor market? The author attempts to answer these questions by examining job flows. If the employment protection legislation is binding, then job and worker turnover should be low. He shows that this is indeed the case. Hiring is limited and the average job tenure is very long in Croatia. Job destruction is low, however job creation is still lower. The result is accumulation of unemployment, in large part due to new labor market entrants not being able to find a job. The high degree of job protection also seems to strengthen the bargaining position of insiders and results in relatively high wages. So, wages in Croatia are higher than among its competitors, even after adjusting for productivity. These high labor costs are likely to contribute to limited job creation in existing firms, but also are likely to discourage the entry of-and thus job creation in-new firms. The author presents evidence that firm growth has been indeed limited in Croatia, contributing to the low employment level. The author examines other potential causes of high unemployment in Croatia (the unemployment benefit system, labor taxation, the wage structure, and skill and spatial mismatches). He argues that they do not play a substantial part in accounting for poor labor market outcomes in Croatia. The author concludes that the stringent employment protection legislation is the key labor market institution behind low job creation and high unemployment. Based on this he recommends specific measures aimed at liberalizing the labor market to foster job creation and employment.Labor Management and Relations,Labor Policies,Labor Markets,Environmental Economics&Policies,Trade Finance and Investment,Labor Markets,Labor Management and Relations,Labor Standards,Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies
Leptochiton sp.: primer quitón fósil articulado hallado en la Isla Marambio, Antartida
No full textEl artículo trata acerca del hallazgo de Leptochiton sp. en capas del Eoceno (±54 Ma) de la Formación La Meseta, isla Marambio (Seymour).Fil: Olivero, Eduardo Bernardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Lopez Cabrera O., Maria Isabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentin
An insight into the diverse roles of surfactant proteins, SP-A and SP-D in innate and adaptive immunity
No full textPMCID: PMC3369187Surfactant proteins SP-A and SP-D are hydrophilic, collagen-containing calcium-dependent lectins, which appear to have a range of innate immune functions at pulmonary as well as extrapulmonary sites. These proteins bind to target ligands on pathogens, allergens, and apoptotic cells, via C-terminal homotrimeric carbohydrate recognition domains, while the collagen region brings about the effector functions via its interaction with cell surface receptors. SP-A and SP-D deal with various pathogens, using a range of innate immune mechanisms such as agglutination/aggregation, enhancement of phagocytosis, and killing mechanisms by phagocytic cells and direct growth inhibition. SP-A and SP-D have also been shown to be involved in the control of pulmonary inflammation including allergy and asthma. Emerging evidence suggest that SP-A and SP-D are capable of linking innate immunity with adaptive immunity that includes modulation of dendritic cell function and helper T cell polarization. This review enumerates immunological properties of SP-A and SP-D inside and outside lungs and discusses their importance in human health and disease
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
Anacroneuria saofrancisco Novaes & Vilela & Lopez & Ferreira 2018, n. sp.
No full textAnacroneuria saofrancisco n. sp. Figures 2–6. Material examined. Holotype male: BRAZIL (BR), Minas Gerais State (MG), Serra da Canastra National Park (SCNP), Rio do Peixe (-20.2569, -46.4097), 17–19.x.2017, GFT, MZSP. Paratypes: BR, MG, SCNP, 2 males and 3 females, Rio do Peixe (20.2569, -46.4097), 17–19.x.2017, GFT, MZSP. Additional material: BR, MG, SCNP, 2 nymphs, Rio do Peixe (-20.2569, -46.4097), 17–19.x.2017, GFT, MZSP. Description. General color brown. Head light brown with central part yellowish; clypeal area setose; M-line incomplete, slightly visible and with diffuse limits; (Fig. 2); lappets brown; gena and parietalia light brown; postfrontal line U-shaped; antenna and palps brow. Pronotum dark brown, with whitish bands medially and laterally (Fig. 2). Legs, femora light brown, tibia and tarsi darker. Wing membrane and veins brown. Cerci brown. Male. Forewing length 11.1–11.7 mm. Hammer a truncate cone (Fig. 3). Penial armature with a pair of small ventral, membranous lobes (Figs. 4–6); in dorsal view, 3-lobed apically with lateral lobes (shoulders) well sclerotized (Fig. 4); ventral apical part (Fig. 5) a thin flap-shaped sclerotized structure (ventral membranous lobes are attached to this structure); hooks relatively large, regularly curved and with apex pointed (Fig. 5); dorsal keel absent. Female. Forewing length 14.7–15.5 mm. Subgenital plate light brown and 4-lobed (Fig. 7). Median notch relatively deep, mesal lobes wider than lateral ones. Lateral lobes slightly shorter than medial ones. Egg elongate oval, ca. 0.22 x 0.45 mm (Fig. 8). Nymph. General color dark brown. Head dark brown with lighter areas near ocelli, compound eyes and parietallia (Fig. 9); M-line slightly visible and with diffuse limits; eyes and ocelli black. Pronotum dark brown with median line and scattered areas light brown (Fig. 9). Mandibles, maxillae, and labium as in Figs. 10–12, respectively. Forefemur with lateral surface covered by sparse bristles (Fig. 13); dorsally and ventrally with higher density of thick bristles; dorsally, with strong fringe of hairs. Tibia ventrally with sparse thick bristles, and dorsally with a row of thick bristles and a well-developed band of hairs. Cerci dark brown with thick bristles; segments differ in shape and size from base to apex (Fig. 14). Thoracic gills: ASC 1, PSC1, AT2, AT3 and PT3 (sensu Shepard & Stewart 1983; Stewart & Stark 2002). Measurements (n=5): head width 2.9–3.1 mm; head length 1.7– 1.9 mm; antennae length 5.5–5.8 mm; pronotum width 3.0– 3.4 mm; pronotum length 1.8–2.5 mm; cercal length 6.9–7.1 mm; total length (without cerci) 10.9–11.5 mm. Remarks. The penial armature of A. saofrancisco resembles A. tabatae Froehlich 2010a. However, the apical penial structure of A. saofrancisco is wider than A. tabatae, as shown in ventral, dorsal, and lateral views (Figs. 4– 6). Additionally, A. tabatae has only a single ventral membranous lobe, whereas A. saofrancisco has two. The head and pronotal color pattern of the nymphs of A. saofrancisco resembles that of A. flintorum Froehlich 2002 (Almeida et al., 2018). However, the nymph of A. saofrancisco is lighter than A. flintorum. Furthermore, the M-line in A. flintorum is well defined but indistinct in A. saofrancisco. Etymology. This name refers to the São Francisco River where the specimens were collected.Published as part of Novaes, Marcos Carneiro, Vilela, Diogo Silva, Lopez, Vinicius Marques & Ferreira, Rhainer Guillermo Nascimento, 2018, Certain species of Plecoptera from the headwater springs of National Integration River (São Francisco), Brazil, pp. 195-200 in Zootaxa 4429 (1) on pages 196-197, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4429.1.13, http://zenodo.org/record/127973
Differential expression of collectins in human placenta and role in inflammation during spontaneous Labor.
No full text© 2014 Yadav et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Collectins, collagen-containing Ca2+ dependent C-type lectins and a class of secretory proteins including SP-A, SP-D and MBL, are integral to immunomodulation and innate immune defense. In the present study, we aimed to investigate their placental transcript synthesis, labor associated differential expression and localization at feto-maternal interface, and their functional implication in spontaneous labor. The study involved using feto-maternal interface (placental/decidual tissues) from two groups of healthy pregnant women at term (≥37 weeks of gestation), undergoing either elective C-section with no labor ('NLc' group, n = 5), or normal vaginal delivery with spontaneous labor ('SLv' group, n = 5). The immune function of SP-D, on term placental explants, was analyzed for cytokine profile using multiplexed cytokine array. SP-A, SP-D and MBL transcripts were observed in the term placenta. The 'SLv' group showed significant up-regulation of SP-D (p = 0.001), and down-regulation of SP-A (p = 0.005), transcripts and protein compared to the 'NLc' group. Significant increase in 43 kDa and 50 kDa SP-D forms in placental and decidual tissues was associated with the spontaneous labor (p<0.05). In addition, the MMP-9-cleaved form of SP-D (25 kDa) was significantly higher in the placentae of 'SLv' group compared to the 'NLc' group (p = 0.002). Labor associated cytokines IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α and MCP-1 showed significant increase (p<0.05) in a dose dependent manner in the placental explants treated with nSP-D and rhSP-D. In conclusion, the study emphasizes that SP-A and SP-D proteins associate with the spontaneous labor and SP-D plausibly contributes to the pro-inflammatory immune milieu of feto-maternal tissues.Funding provided by BT/PR15227/BRB/10/906/2011) Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India http://dbtindia.nic.in/index.asp (TM) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Junior Research Fellowship (JRF)/Senior Research Fellowship (SRF), Government of India, www.icmr.nic.in (AKY)
Catalytic Conversion of Glucose and Chlorella sp. into Furans in the Presence of Niobium Oxide
No full textA series of Nb2O5 solid catalysts have been prepared to be used for the catalytic dehydration of glucose and sugars from algae Chlorella sp. into added value furans. The glucose transformation gave rise to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF). Chlorella sp. was used in the same catalytic conditions to be valorised to furans. By preliminary studies we concluded that the algae aqueous suspension needed a previous treatment in the presence of SiO2 pellets to liberate the carbohydrates that in the catalytic reaction in the presence of Nb2O5 materials gave rise 5-HMF and furfural. The best operative conditions and Nb2O5 catalysts were individuated. The most performant Nb2O5 catalyst also showed an excellent reusability without deactivation. The selectivity to furans was related to the acidity of the solid used as catalyst
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