Can climate shape flight activity patterns of Plebeia remota Hymenoptera, Apidae)?

Flight activity of foragers of four colonies of Plebeia remota (Holmberg, 1903) was registered from December 1998 to December 1999, using an automated system (photocells and PLC system). The colonies originated from two different regions: Cunha, state of São Paulo, and Prudentópolis, state of Paraná, Brazil. Flight activity was influenced by different climatic factors in each season. In the summer, the intensity of the correlations between flight activity and climatic factors was smaller than in the other seasons. During the autumn and winter, solar radiation was the factor that most influenced flight activity, while in the spring, this activity was influenced mainly by temperature. Except in the summer, the various climatic factors similarly influenced flight activity of all of the colonies. Flight activity was not affected by geographic origin of the colonies. Information concerning seasonal differences in flight activity of P. remota will be useful for prediction of geographic distribution scenarios under climatic changes.

Dynamical speckles patterns of action potential transmission effects in squid giant axon membrane.

Undoubtedly the most important result of the investigations in physiology and biophysics was the discovery of the electrochemical mechanism of propagation of the action potential in nerves that was made by Hodgkin and Huxley during the first half of the past century. Since some decades ago diverse experiments about the electro optical properties of the axon membrane there was published using the most diverse optical experimental ‘procedures POT 6-10’. In this paper some results of a dynamical speckle technique applied for obtaining microscopic images of a section of a squid giant axon membrane during the activation by electrical impulses and his digital process are presented.

Effects of dietary fatty acids on patterns of early mineralisation and bone formation in the axial skeleton of Sparus aurata (Linnaeus, 1758)

Máster Oficial en Cultivos Marinos. VI Máster Internacional en Acuicultura. Trabajo presentado como requisito parcial para la obtención del Título de Máster Oficial en Cultivos Marinos, otorgado por la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), el Instituto Canario de Ciencias Marinas (ICCM), y el Centro Internacional de Altos Estudios Agronómicos Mediterráneos de Zaragoza (CIHEAM)

Is there a link between the type of habitat and the patterns of abundance of holothurians in shallow rocky reefs?

[EN] The presence of a mosaic of habitats, largely determined by sea urchin grazing, across shallow rocky reefs may potentially influence in differences in the distribution patterns of invertebrates. The aim of this paper was to assess, using a correlative approach, whether the type of habitat influences the abundance patterns of holothurians in the eastern Atlantic. We hypothesized that abundances of large (> 10 cm) holothurians varied among four types of habitat (3 vegetated habitats with low abundances of the sea urchin D. antillarum versus ?barrens? with hyperabundances of sea urchins), and that these differences were consistent at a hierarchy of spatial scales, including two islands and several replicated sites within each type of habitat and island. Three species of large holothurians were found, accounting for a total of 300 specimens. We found remarkable differences in abundances of holothurians between the ?barrens? and the three vegetated habitats. This pattern was strongest for the numerically dominant species, Holothuria sanctorii. Total abundances of holothurians were between 5 ? 46 times more abundant in ?barrens? compared with the vegetated habitats. Inter-habitat differences were species-specific with some inconsistent patterns from one island to the other. The total abundances of holothurians tended to increase with the abundance of sea urchins within ?barrens?. Our study suggests that there may be a link, at least for the dominant species Holothuria sanctorii, between the distribution and abundances of large holothurians and the habitat across shallow-waters of the eastern Atlantic.

Temporal patterns of the seagrass "Cymodocea nodosa" and depth-related patterns of the green algae "Caulerpa prolifera" in the Canarian Archipelago

Máster Oficial en Gestión Costera

Analyzing spatio-temporal patterns of genuine cross-correlations

In multivariate time series analysis, the equal-time cross-correlation is a classic and computationally efficient measure for quantifying linear interrelations between data channels. When the cross-correlation coefficient is estimated using a finite amount of data points, its non-random part may be strongly contaminated by a sizable random contribution, such that no reliable conclusion can be drawn about genuine mutual interdependencies. The random correlations are determined by the signals' frequency content and the amount of data points used. Here, we introduce adjusted correlation matrices that can be employed to disentangle random from non-random contributions to each matrix element independently of the signal frequencies. Extending our previous work these matrices allow analyzing spatial patterns of genuine cross-correlation in multivariate data regardless of confounding influences. The performance is illustrated by example of model systems with known interdependence patterns. Finally, we apply the methods to electroencephalographic (EEG) data with epileptic seizure activity.

Androgen receptors are differentially expressed in Gleason patterns of prostate cancer and down-regulated in matched lymph node metastases

Androgen receptor (AR) expression profile in the different Gleason patterns (GP) of primary prostate cancers and nodal metastases is unknown. More information about AR distribution is needed to optimize evaluation methods and to better understand the role of AR in development and progression of prostate cancer.

Changing patterns of cancer incidence in the early- and late-HAART periods: the Swiss HIV Cohort Study

The advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 1996 led to a decrease in the incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), but not of other cancers, among people with HIV or AIDS (PWHA). It also led to marked increases in their life expectancy.

Trauma mechanisms, patterns of injury, and outcomes in a retrospective study of 71 burns from civil gas explosions

Although explosion injuries caused by terror attacks or in war are evaluated in many studies, limited information about civil explosion injuries can be found in the literature.

Patterns of morphological changes and hybridization between sympatric whitefish morphs (Coregonus spp.) in a Swiss lake: a role for eutrophication?

Whitefish, genus Coregonus, show exceptional levels of phenotypic diversity with sympatric morphs occurring in numerous postglacial lakes in the northern hemisphere. Here, we studied the effects of human-induced eutrophication on sympatric whitefish morphs in the Swiss lake, Lake Thun. In particular, we addressed the questions whether eutrophication (i) induced hybridization between two ecologically divergent summer-spawning morphs through a loss of environmental heterogeneity, and (ii) induced rapid adaptive morphological changes through changes in the food web structure. Genetic analysis based on 11 microsatellite loci of 282 spawners revealed that the pelagic and the benthic morph represent highly distinct gene pools occurring at different relative proportions on all seven known spawning sites. Gill raker counts, a highly heritable trait, showed nearly discrete distributions for the two morphs. Multilocus genotypes characteristic of the pelagic morph had more gill rakers than genotypes characteristic of benthic morph. Using Bayesian methods, we found indications of recent but limited introgressive hybridization. Comparisons with historical gill raker data yielded median evolutionary rates of 0.24 haldanes and median selection intensities of 0.27 for this trait in both morphs for 1948-2004 suggesting rapid evolution through directional selection at this trait. However, phenotypic plasticity as an alternative explanation for this phenotypic change cannot be discarded. We hypothesize that both the temporal shifts in mean gill raker counts and the recent hybridization reflect responses to changes in the trophic state of the lake induced by pollution in the 1960s, which created novel selection pressures with respect to feeding niches and spawning site preferences.