65,562 research outputs found
Cadmium and Visual Performance in Danio Rerio.
No full textThis study describes the negative effects exerted by cadminum intoxication on behavioral responses to re-illumination with white or colored light in the zebrafish, Danio rerio
Measurement of the ratio of prompt χ c to J / ψ production in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV
No full textThe prompt production of charmonium χ c and J / ψ states is studied in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. The χ c and J / ψ mesons are identified through their decays χ c → J / ψ γ and J / ψ → μ + μ - using 36 pb - 1 of data collected by the LHCb detector in 2010. The ratio of the prompt production cross-sections for χ c and J / ψ, σ (χ c → J / ψ γ) / σ (J / ψ), is determined as a function of the J / ψ transverse momentum in the range 2 < p T J / ψ < 15 GeV / c. The results are in excellent agreement with next-to-leading order non-relativistic expectations and show a significant discrepancy compared with the colour singlet model prediction at leading order, especially in the low p T J / ψ region
Ocrepeira planalto Ferreira-Sousa & Motta 2022, new species
No full textOcrepeira planalto new species Figs. 23 –31 Material examined. Female holotype (DZUB 9280) and male and female paratypes (DZUB 9279) from Brazil, Bahia, Jaborandi, Fazenda Trijunção [-14.643925, -45.802133] collected by P. C. Motta XI.2018; female from Brazil, Goiás, Alto Paraíso (São Jorge), Parque Nacional Chapada dos Veadeiros [-14.038814, -47.622971]. Collected by P. C. Motta, X.2009 (DZUB 5357); male from Brazil, Goiás, Cavalcante, Fazenda Miraflores [-13.811866, -47.432565]. Collected by P. C. Motta, XI.2013 (DZUB 7494); female from Brazil, Goiás, Cristalina, Serra dos Topázios [-16.716671, -47.633332]. Collected by P. C. Motta, XI.2016 (DZUB 8701). Etymology. The species is named after the geographical region of the type locality, named Planalto Central (noun in apposition). Generic placement. It belongs in Ocrepeira by having wide and low carapace. The abdomen has one pair of anterior tubercles and is attached to the pedicel by its anterior half. The epigynum have a broad scape and is heavily sclerotized, with distinct median and lateral plates. In the males, one macroseta is present on the palpal patella. The large conductor is attached to the thin paramedian apophysis and the median apophysis is long and wide, as stated by Levi (1993). Diagnosis. The females differ from most Ocrepeira species by the wide lateral plates of the epigynum touching each other in the posterior view and partially hiding the posterior median plate (Fig. 25). Ocrepeira pinhal Levi has both the lateral plates touching and triangular scape originating from the base of the epigynum (Levi, 1993, fig. 213) as in O. planalto n. sp. The latter is different by having the scape slightly smaller than the base (Fig. 23), and the epigynum is about square-shaped in posterior view due to its very wide lateral plates (Fig. 24). Furthermore, two dark spots are present in the ventral view of the epigynum in all females of O. planalto n. sp. (Fig. 22). The male resembles O. gima Levi by the sickle-shaped terminal apophysis and the size of the median apophysis. It differs by the elliptical shape of the conductor. Both terminal and median apophysis are longer and the latter has a smooth tip (Fig. 27). Description. Female holotype from Fazenda Trijunção, Jaborandi. Total length 6.40. Carapace: 3.05 long, 2.68 wide, 1.18 high. Cephalic region brown with short white setae, thoracic region with glabrous dark brown sides. Clypeus: 0.21. Chelicerae: orange to brown, fangs redish-brown. Eye diameters: AME 0.14, ALE 0.11, PME 0.16, PLE 0.10. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.18, AME–ALE 0.53, PME–PME 0.25, PME–PLE 0.67, AME–PME 0.15. Endites: 0.54 long, 0.46 wide, brown, white from the half to median edges. Labium: 0.45 long, 0.64 wide, same color pattern as in endites. Sternum: 1.30 long, 1.34 wide, orange with white spots. Legs: yellow with irregular brown rings and spots. Leg formula 1 2 4 3. Measures: L1. Femur 3.27, patella 1.44, tibia 2.48, metatarsus 2.32, tarsus 0.90 / L2. Femur 2.93, patella 1.43, tibia 2.07, metatarsus 2.16, tarsus 0.78 / L3. Femur 1.73, patella 0.94, tibia 1.25, metatarsus 1.13, tarsus 0.63 / L4. Femur 2.57, patella 1.05, tibia 1.90, metatarsus 1.95, tarsus 0.68 / Pedipalp. Femur 0.75, patella 0.40, tibia 0.54, tarsus 0.93. Abdomen: 5.57 long, 3.93 wide, 2.67 high. Dark grey with light spots and a white cardiac mark, the sides have a wavy black line each. The venter has a wide dark grey area, with two small white spots near the spinnerets. Male paratype from Fazenda Trijunção, Jaborandi. Total length 4.91. Carapace: 2.57 long, 2.28 wide, 0.81 high. Covered with short white setae on the sides, cephalic region orange with brown spots, thoracic region orange with brown. Clypeus: 0.18. Chelicerae: orange to greyish-orange, fangs brown. Eye diameters: AME 0.15, ALE 0.09, PME 0.16, PLE 0.08. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.15, AME–ALE 0.27, PME–PME 0.24, PME–PLE 0.40, AME–PME 0.11. Endites: 0.38 long, 0.40 wide; orange, white from the half to median edges. Labium: 0.24 long, 0.42 wide, same color pattern as in endites. Sternum: 1.18 long, 1.06 wide, light orange with white spots. Legs: same color pattern as in females, second femur with groove, second tibia wide and armored with strong macrosetae. First coxae with a distal hook, third and fourth coxae and trochanters with one macrosetae each. Leg formula 1 2 4 3. Measures: L1. Femur 2.57, patella 0.97, tibia 1.89, metatarsus 1.78, tarsus 0.66 / L2. Femur 2.69, patella 1.03, tibia 1.67, metatarsus 1.89, tarsus 0.74 / L3. Femur 1.66, patella 0.66, tibia 1.10, metatarsus 0.89, tarsus 0.53 / L4. Femur 2.21, patella 0.74, tibia 1.38, metatarsus 1.62, tarsus 0.61. Abdomen: 2.93 long, 2.33 wide, 1.03 high.Abdomen grey with light spots. The venter has a big grey square and two white spots near the spinnerets, as in females. Variation. Total length of females 6.40 to 8.50. Abdomen varies from orange to dark grey and pattern of spots and stripes on the dorsal abdomen may be variable. Total length of males 3.95 to 4.91, the abdominal wavy black line might be inconspicuous. Matching sexes. One pair was collected in a recently made wasp nest in Jaborandi. They were considered conspecific by having one pair of abdominal tubercles with an anterior white band between them, ventral abdomen with a pair of posterior white patches, legs with femur distal brown and proximal beige, AME straight, PME procurved and on a swelling, and clypeus height about 1.5 diameters of AME. Distribution and natural history. Found in Central Brazil. The females were collected in the hub of complete orb-webs. One specimen from Jaborandi made its egg sac and wrapped it with the data label as observed in the female of Carepalxis quasimodo n. sp.Published as part of Ferreira-Sousa, Leonardo & Motta, Paulo César, 2022, Diagnostic notes on the spider orb-weaving genera Carepalxis and Ocrepeira (Araneae: Araneidae), with description of three new species from Central Brazil, pp. 389-399 in Zootaxa 5087 (2) on pages 395-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5087.2.9, http://zenodo.org/record/582432
The supplementation of a corn/barley-based diet with bacterial xylanase did not prevent diarrhoea of ETEC susceptible piglets, but favoured the persistence of Lactobacillus reuteri in the gut
No full textExogenous enzymes can favour the release of shorter polymers of the dietary fibre, favouring the development of a beneficial digestive microflora. The addition of bacterial xylanase to a weaner pig diet was tested for its impact on the intestinal microbiota and digestive homeostasis. Thirty-two pigs genetically susceptible to enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), equally divided into two experimental groups, were used to increase the risk of diarrhoea and test the response of xylanase under conditions representing those severe situations which are frequently present on farms. Pigs, weaned at 25 ± 1 days, were fed a corn/barley standard diet without (Group CO) or with (Group XY) 100 g/t xylanase from BELFEED NV, Belgium. Blood samples (for measuring the reactive oxygen metabolites) and faeces were taken 14 and 28 days from the beginning of the trial. On day 28, the pigs were euthanised and jejunal samples were collected.The faecal bacteria16S rRNA gene was sequenced using a MiSeq Reagent Kit V3-V4 on a MiSeq-Illumina platform. The pigs had diffuse diarrhoea starting from day 4. On the morning of day 8 and for the two following days, all the pigs were treated with Enrofloxacin intramuscularly. The efficacy of the Enrofloxacin was confirmed using the ETEC F18 growth inhibition test. Four animals in each treatment group died or were suppressed to reduce pain. The diet did not change growth, the faecal score or the reactive oxygen metabolites in the blood. The XY treatment trended to increase villus length in the jejunum (p = 0.066). The operational taxonomic unit (OTU) distribution was fairly homogeneous, the microbial diversity indices were not changed by the treatment, and the per phylum abundances were homogenous among the diets and were dominated by Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. The beneficial xylose-fermenting Lactobacillus reuteri persisted after weaning in the XY treatment group (P < 0.05). The Beta Diversity was clusterised for the time of sampling (P = 0.003). The supplementation with xylanase did not improve growth or protection against ETEC, but the effect on some beneficial bacteria species is merits additional study
Neuropsychological comparison between schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis: an auditory P 300 study
No full textCarepalxis topazio Ferreira-Sousa & Motta 2022, new species
No full textCarepalxis topazio new species Figs. 16–21, 30 Material examined. Female holotype from Brazil, Goiás, Cristalina, Serra dos Topázios [-16.716671, -47.633332]. Collected by P. C. Motta, XI.2016 (DZUB 8699). Etymology. The species is named after the type locality (noun in apposition). Generic placement. This new species is placed in Carepalxis primarily because of its pair of cephalic humps. Diagnosis. Its overall morphology is closer to Ocrepeira mastophoroides Mello-Leitão than any other Carepalxis species. It differs by the presence of a large pair of cephalic humps, as delimited by the genus diagnosis. It has five pairs of tubercles instead of six. The epigynum is different by its Y-shaped scape and the bilobed margins of the lateral plates. The longitudinal groove in O. mastophoroides is restricted to the tip of the scape, in C. topazio n. sp. it goes from the tip to about half of the scape. Additionally, the height of clypeus equals twice the height of an anterior median eye, instead of the same size of this eye as in O. mastophoroides. Carepalxis topazio n. sp. is distinct from C. salobrensis, C. quasimodo n. sp. and C. camelus by the presence of abdominal lateral tubercles (Figs. 19, 21), but lacks the posterior median tubercles present in C. perpera. The epigynum has a long scape (Figs. 16, 17), the inner borders of the lateral plates forms a heart shape around the posterior median plate (Fig. 18), unlike the median plates of C. camelus and C. quasimodo n. sp., which are hidden (Fig. 1). Description. Female holotype from Serra dos Topázios, Cristalina. Total length 8.83. Carapace: 3.98 long, 2.54 wide, cephalic humps 2.07 high, thoracic region 1.27 high. Cephalic region redish-brown, humps covered with short white setae, thoracic region glabrous, orange-cream. Clypeus: 0.40. Chelicerae: redish-brown with an arched dark stripe and many setae near to the clypeus, fangs dark red. Eye diameters: AME 0.18, ALE 0.09, PME 0.14, PLE 0.13. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.22, AME–ALE 0.72, PME–PME 0.46, PME–PLE 0.87, AME–PME 0.21. Endites: 0.99 long, 0.74 wide, redish-brown, yellow from the half to the median edges. Labium: 0.62 long, 0.77 wide, same color pattern as endites. Sternum: 1.36 long, 1.59 wide, orange with numerous setae on anterior margin. Legs: dark orange with irregular redish-brown spots and rings. Leg formula 1 2 4 3. Measures: L1. Femur 3.36, patella 1.76, tibia 2.31, metatarsus 2.32, tarsus 0.78 / L2. Femur 3.26, patella 1.49, tibia 2.14, metatarsus 2.29, tarsus 0.85 / L3. Femur 2.23, patella 1.25, tibia 1.34, metatarsus 1.07, tarsus 0.74 / L4. Femur 3.38, patella 1.70, tibia 2.02, metatarsus 2.01, tarsus 0.72/ Pedipalp. Femur 1.08, patella 0.62, tibia 0.74, tarsus 1.30. Abdomen: 7.71 long, 7.25 wide, 4.60 high. Abdomen round, greyish-orange, dorsaly with a pair of anterior dark tubercles and four pairs of lateral grey tubercles. In lateral view, the abdomen has a wavy black line on each side. The venter has a big grey area between the epigynum and spinnerets. Male. Unknown. Distribution and natural history. The only known specimen was collected by beating sheet during the early rainy season in Brazilian Cerrado, in a rocky savanna formation.Published as part of Ferreira-Sousa, Leonardo & Motta, Paulo César, 2022, Diagnostic notes on the spider orb-weaving genera Carepalxis and Ocrepeira (Araneae: Araneidae), with description of three new species from Central Brazil, pp. 389-399 in Zootaxa 5087 (2) on pages 394-395, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5087.2.9, http://zenodo.org/record/582432
Impact of environmental stressors on gene expression in the embryo of the italian wall lizard
No full textThe cleidoic eggs of oviparous reptiles are protected from the external environment by membranes and a parchment shell permeable to water and dissolved molecules. As a consequence, not only physical but also chemical insults can reach the developing embryos, interfering with gene expression. This review provides information on the impact of the exposure to cadmium contamination or thermal stress on gene expression during the development of Italian wall lizards of the genus Podarcis. The results obtained by transcriptomic analysis, although not exhaustive, allowed to identify some stress-reactive genes and, consequently, the molecular pathways in which these genes are involved. Cadmium-responsive genes encode proteins involved in cellular protection, metabolism and proliferation, membrane trafficking, protein interactions, neuronal transmission and plasticity, immune response, and transcription regulatory factors. Cold stress changes the expression of genes involved in transcriptional/translational regulation and chromatin remodeling and inhibits the transcription of a histone methyltransferase with the probable consequence of modifying the epigenetic control of DNA. These findings provide transcriptome-level evidence of how terrestrial vertebrate embryos cope with stress, giving a key to use in population survival and environmental change studies. A better understanding of the genes contributing to stress tolerance in vertebrates would facilitate methodologies and applications aimed at improving resistance to unfavourable environments
A three dimensional view of the zona pellucida in human mature oocytes with the scanning electron microscopy
No full textLV Congresso della Società Italiana di Anatomia, Ascoli Piceno (Italy
Structural determinants of salmon calcitonin bioactivity -the role of the leu-based amphipatic alfa-helix
No full textSalmon calcitonin (sCT) forms an amphipathic helix in the region 9-19, with the C-terminal decapeptide interacting with the helix (Amodeo, P., Motta, A., Strazzullo, G., Castiglione Morelli, M. A. (1999) J. Biomol. NMR 13, 161-174). To uncover the structural requirements for the hormone bioactivity, we investigated several sCT analogs. They were designed so as to alter the length of the central helix by removal and/or replacement of flanking residues and by selectively mutating or deleting residues inside the helix. The helix content was assessed by circular dichroism and NMR spectroscopies; the receptor binding affinity in human breast cancer cell line T 47D and the in vivo hypocalcemic activity were also evaluated. In particular, by NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics calculations we studied Leu(23),Ala(24)-sCT in which Pro(23) and Arg(24) were replaced by helix inducing residues. Compared with sCT, it assumes a longer amphipathic alpha-helix, with decreased binding affinity and one-fifth of the hypocalcemic activity, therefore supporting the idea of a relationship between a definite helix length and bioactivity. From the analysis of other sCT mutants, we inferred that the correct helix length is located in the 9-19 region and requires long range interactions and the presence of specific regions of residues within the sequence for high binding affinity and hypocalcemic activity. Taken together, the structural and biological data identify well defined structural parameters of the helix for sCT bioactivity
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