Alternative body sites for heat stress measurement in milking cows under tropical conditions and their relationship to the thermal discomfort of the animals

This study was conducted to determine the relationship among temperatures measured at different anatomical sites of the animal body and their daily pattern as indicative of the thermal stress in lactating dairy cows under tropical conditions. Environmental dry bulb (DBT) and black globe (BGT) temperatures and relative humidity (RH) were recorded. Rectal temperature (RT), respiratory frequency (RF), body surface (BST), internal base of tail (TT), vulva (VT) and auricular temperatures (AT) were collected, from 37 Black and White Holstein cows at 0700, 1300 and 1800 hours. RT showed a moderately and positive correlations with all body temperatures, ranging from 0.59 with TT to 0.64 with BST. Correlations among AT, VT and TT with RF were very similar (from 0.63 to 0.64) and were greater than those observed for RF with RT (0.55) or with BST (0.54). RF and RT were positively correlated to TT (0.63 and 0.59, respectively), AT (r = 0.63 for both) and VT (r = 0.64 and 0.63, respectively). Positive and very high correlations were observed among AT, VT and TT (from 0.94 to 0.97) indicating good association of temperatures measured in these anatomical sites. Correlations of BST with AT and VT were positive and very similar (0.71 and 0.72, respectively) and lower with TT (0.66). The AT, TT, VT and BST presented similar patterns and follow the variations of DBT through the day. Temperatures measured at different anatomical sites of the animal body have the potential to be used as indicative of the thermal stress in lactating dairy cows.

A FOSSIL BULGE GLOBULAR CLUSTER REVEALED BY VERY LARGE TELESCOPE MULTI-CONJUGATE ADAPTIVE OPTICS

The globular cluster HP 1 is projected on the bulge, very close to the Galactic center. The Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics Demonstrator on the Very Large Telescope allowed us to acquire high-resolution deep images that, combined with first epoch New Technology Telescope data, enabled us to derive accurate proper motions. The cluster and bulge fields` stellar contents were disentangled through this process and produced an unprecedented definition in color-magnitude diagrams of this cluster. The metallicity of [Fe/H] approximate to -1.0 from previous spectroscopic analysis is confirmed, which together with an extended blue horizontal branch imply an age older than the halo average. Orbit reconstruction results suggest that HP 1 is spatially confined within the bulge.

Weather conditions and moon phase influence on Tropical Screech Owl and Burrowing Owl detection by playback

Sampling owls in a reliable and standardized way is not easy given their nocturnal habits. Playback is a widely employed technique to survey owls. We assessed the influence of wind speed, temperature, air humidity, and moon phase on the response rate of the Tropical Screech Owl Megascops choliba and the Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia in southeast Brazil. Tropical Screech Owl occurs in scrubland and wooded habitats, whereas the Burrowing Owl inhabits open grasslands to grassland savannah. Sixteen survey points were systematically distributed in four different landscape types, ranging from open grassland to woodland savannah. Field work was conducted in 2004 from June to December, the reproductive season of the two owl species. Our study design consisted of eight field expeditions of five nights each; four expeditions occurred under full moon and four under new moon conditions. At each survey station, we performed a broadcast/listening sequence involving several calls and vocalizations from each species, starting with Tropical Screech Owl (the smaller species). From 112 sample periods for each species within their respective preferred habitats, we obtained 54 responses from Tropical Screech Owl (48% response rate) and 30 responses (27% response rate) from Burrowing Owl. We found that the response rate of Tropical Screech Owl increased under conditions of higher temperature and air humidity, while the response rate of Burrowing Owl was higher during full moon nights.

Transport of animals between rooms: A little-noted aspect of laboratory procedure that may interfere with memory

This study investigated the effects of transporting animals from the experimental room to the animal facility in between experimental sessions, a procedure routinely employed in experimental research, on long-term social recognition memory. By using the intruder-resident paradigm, independent groups of Wistar rats exposed to a 2-h encounter with an adult intruder were transported from the experimental room to the animal facility either 0.5 or 6h after the encounter. The following day, residents were exposed to a second encounter with either the same or a different (unfamiliar) intruder. Resident`s social and non-social behaviors were carefully scored and subjected to Principal Component Analysis, thus allowing to parcel out variance and relatedness among these behaviors. Resident rats transported 6h after the first encounter exhibited reduced amount of social investigation towards familiar intruders, but an increase of social investigation when exposed to a different intruder as compared to the first encounter. These effects revealed a consistent long-lasting (24h) social recognition memory in rats. In contrast, resident rats transported 0.5 h after the first encounter did not exhibit social recognition memory. These results indicate that this common, little-noted, laboratory procedure disturbs long-term social recognition memory. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New genera of philopotine spider flies (Diptera, Acroceridae) with a key to living and fossil genera

In this paper we describe two new genera of philopotine Acroceridae: Schlingeriella irwini gen. et sp. n. (New Caledonia) and Quasi fisheri gen. et sp. n. (Mexico). The Baltic amber species Eulonchiella eocenica Meunier, 1912 is rediagnosed and a neotype designated based on a newly discovered specimen. We also provide a dichotomous key to the world genera of Philopotinae, both living and fossil.

Araucaria forest dynamics in relation to fire frequency in southern Brazil based on fossil and modern pollen dataf

To elucidate the relationship between forest dynamics and fire frequency pollen percentages and charcoal amounts from a 120 cm long peat core and from samples of modern pollen rain were collected along a transect. The study site in southern Brazil is characterized by a species-rich mosaic of grassland-Araucaria forest. It is of crucial importance for management strategies for conservation to understand the development and maintenance of these vegetation mosaics including their sharp forest-grassland boundaries. During the late Holocene, considerable changes occurred in the area. From Anno Domini (AD) 1360 to 1410, the area was dominated by Campos (grassland) vegetation and fire was very common. From AD 1410 to 1500, Araucaria forest expanded and fire was less frequent. From AD 1500 to 1580, Campos grassland spread and the Araucaria forest ceased its development, apparently due to the increase of fire. From AD 1580 to 1935, after a decrease in fire frequency, Araucaria forest expanded again. From AD 1935 to the present, the Araucaria forest expanded while the Campos area decreased. Fire was very rare in this period. The results indicate a strong interaction of forest expansion, forming a mosaic of Campos and Araucaria forest, and the frequency of fire during the past 600 years. A possible collapse of the indigenous population following the post-Colombian colonization in southern Brazil after about AD 1550 may have caused a great reduction of fire frequency. The introduction of cattle (probably after AD 1780) and the resulting decrease of fire frequency might be the reason for forest expansion. Fire is probably the most important factor controlling the dynamics of the forest-grassland mosaics and the formation of sharp borders between these two vegetation types. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cearania heterophylla gen. nov et sp nov., a fossil gymnosperm with affinities to the Gnetales from the Early Cretaceous of northern Gondwana

Vegetative and fertile shoots of a shrub-like seed plant from the late Aptian Crato Formation of Brazil are described as Cearania heterophylla Kunzmann, Mohr and Bernardes-de-Oliveira, gen. nov. et sp. nov. Anatomical details of the axes, epidermal features and separate ovulate and pollen producing organs indicate the gymnospermous nature of this plant. The vascular tissue of the axes includes tracheids with bordered pits and fiber tracheids. Vegetative shoots comprising at least three branching orders bear opposite-decussately arranged ovate to lanceolate, dorsiventrally flattened, parallelodromous, rather thick leaves that vary tremendously in size. The amphistomatic leaves bear (brachy-)paracytic stomatal complexes arranged in simple longitudinal files. The ovulate structure is interpreted as a terminally attached single globular ovule/seed surrounded by at least five to six lanceolate bracts. A terminally attached pollen-cone like structure grows on a lateral leafy shoot. The unusual character combination may indicate that the fossils belong to a hitherto unknown group with affinities to ephedroid Gnetales. Sterile shoots formerly often described as Podozamites, Nageiopsis or Lilites that are at least partly congeneric with C. heterophylla Kunzmann, Mohr and Bernardes-de-Oliveira, gen. nov. et sp. nov. had a wide geographic distribution during the Early Cretaceous. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.