Preliminary investigations into using eugenol to recover erased characters on polymers

In this paper we present our preliminary studies on the efficacy of eugenol for the recovery of erased characters on polymers. We have found that eugenol rapidly recovers erased characters when applied to the surface of polymer substrates. By applying eugenol to the surface to be treated using a cotton bud or paintbrush, we were able to revisualize erased characters from a range of polymers, inclluding acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, acrylic, high-impact polystrene, and polystyrene. Eugenol is safe, nonhazardour, and easily sourced reagent for this purpose.

Effects of low dosage pyrene pollution on biochemical characters of earthworm (Eisenia fetida) in soil

By the method of artificial soil pollution, an exposure experiment with different concentrations of pyrene (0, 60, 120, 240, 480, 960 microg x kg(-1)) was conducted to determine the cytochrome P450 and MDA contents and the glutathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities in earthworm gut after exposure for 1, 3, 7 and 14 days. The results indicated that within the range of test pyrene concentrations, all the biochemical indices tested differed in their sensitivity to pyrene toxicity, among which, P450 content and GST and SOD activities were most sensitive, followed by POD and CAT activities, while MDA content did not show any obvious response. Exposure duration had stronger effects than exposure dosage. In diagnosing the ecotoxicity of soil pollutant, it could be necessary to use a combined multi-time and multi-index diagnostic method to enhance the sensitivity and effectiveness of the indices adopted.

The use of molecular and morphological characters to resolve the taxonomic identity of cryptic species : the case of Miniopterus manavi (Chiroptera, Miniopteridae)

Based on recent molecular phylogenetic studies, the Old World bat family Miniopteridae, composed of species in the genus Miniopterus, has been shown to contain complex paraphyletic species, many of which are cryptic based on convergent morphological characters. Herein we resolve the phylogenetic relationships and taxonomy of the species complex M. manavi on Madagascar and in the Comoro Archipelago, where these animals occur in different bioclimatic zones. First using mitochondrial cytochrome-b sequence data to define clades and then morphology to corroborate the molecular data, including comparisons to type specimens, we demonstrate that animals identified as this taxon are a minimum of three species: M. manavi sensu stricto occurs in at least the central portion of the Central Highlands; M. griveaudi has a broad distribution in lowland northern and central western Madagascar and the Comoros (Anjouan and Grande Comore), and M. aelleni sp. n. has been found in northern and western Madagascar and the Comoros (Anjouan). In each case, these three clades were genetically divergent and monophyletic and the taxa are diagnosable based on different external and craniodental characters. One aspect that helped to define the systematics of this group was isolation of DNA from one of the paratypes of M. manavi collected in 1896 and new topotypic material. Miniopterus manavi is most closely allied to a recently described species, M. petersoni. At several localities, M. griveaudi and M. aelleni have been found in strict sympatry, and together with M. manavi sensu stricto show considerable convergence in morphological characters, but are not immediate sister taxa. In defining and resolving the systematics of cryptic species, such as miniopterid bats, the process of defining clades with molecular tools, segregating the specimens accordingly, and identifying corroborative morphological characters has been notably efficient.

Effects of social characters in viral propagation seeding strategies in online social networks

Online social networks have not only become a point of aggregation and exchange of information, they have so radically rooted into our everyday behaviors that they have become the target of important network attacks. We have seen an increasing trend in Sybil based activity, such as in personification, fake profiling and attempts to maliciously subvert the community stability in order to illegally create benefits for some individuals, such as online voting, and also from more classic informatics assaults using specifically mutated worms. Not only these attacks, in the latest months, we have seen an increase in spam activities on social networks such as Facebook and RenRen, and most importantly, the first attempts at propagating worms within these communities. What differentiates these attacks from normal network attacks, is that compared to anonymous and stealthy activities, or by commonly untrusted emails, social networks regain the ability to propagate within consentient users, who willingly accept to partake. In this paper, we will demonstrate the effects of influential nodes against non-influential nodes through in simulated scenarios and provide an overview and analysis of the outcomes.

Identification and functional characterization of a novel monotreme - specific antibacterial protein expressed during lactation

Monotremes are the only oviparous mammals and exhibit a fascinating combination of reptilian and mammalian characters. They represent a component of synapsidal reproduction by laying shelled eggs which are incubated outside the mother’s body. This is accompanied by a prototherian lactation process, marking them as representatives of early mammals. The only extant monotremes are the platypus, and the short- and long- beaked echidnas, and their distributions are limited to Australia and New Guinea. Apart for a short weaning period, milk is the sole source of nutrition and protection for the hatchlings which are altricial and immunologically naive. The duration of lactation in these mammals is prolonged relative to the gestational length and period of incubation of eggs. Much of the development of monotreme young occurs in the non-sterile ex-utero environment. Therefore the role of milk in the growth, development and disease protection of the young is of significant interest. By sequencing the cDNA of cells harvested from monotreme milk, we have identified a novel monotreme- specific transcript, and the corresponding gene was designated as the EchAMP. The expression profile of this gene in various tissues revealed that it is highly expressed in milk cells. The peptides corresponding to the EchAMP protein have been identified in a sample of echidna milk In silico analysis indicated putative antimicrobial potential for the cognate protein of EchAMP. This was further confirmed by in vitro assays using a host of bacteria. Interestingly, EchAMP did not display any activity against a commensal gut floral species. These results support the hypothesis of enhancement of survival of the young by antimicrobial bioactives of mammary gland origin and thus emphasize the protective, non- nutritional role of milk in mammals.

A technique for examination of diagnostic characters of penicillate millipedes

We describe a simple method for examination of penicillate millipedes. The internal tissues are dissolved and the stain Fast Green used to give excellent contrast for dissection and to provide clear visualisation of characters necessary for identification of both freshly collected and museum specimens.