CIRCADIAN OSCILLATORY PATTERNS OF OXYGEN-UPTAKE IN INDIVIDUAL WORKERS OF THE ANT CAMPONOTUS-RUFIPES

Respiratory rates of individual workers of Camponotus rufipes Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were measured at 25-degrees-C and LD 12:12 h (lights on 06.00 hours), DL 12:12 h (lights on 18.00 hours), LL (850 lux) and DD (red light, 20-30 lux), using the micro-Warburg technique. Worker ants were collected from natural nest during the winter of 1987 in a woodland park in the region of Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil. The respiration of ants showed a circadian rhythm with acrophase ranging from 20 h 41 min to 01 h 18 min and from 10 h 32 min to 12 h 22 min at LD and DD, respectively. In constant darkness the rhythmometric variables were similar to those presented by ants kept at LD 12:12 h. Under constant light no circadian rhythm in the respiration rates was found. A reduction in the amplitude was observed, indicating an inhibitory effect of this light regime on the respiration process.

EVALUATION of COVERING MATERIALS IN INDIVIDUAL SHELTERS and ITS EFFECTS on PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES and PERFORMANCE of DAIRY CALVES

In Tropical regions, the animal performance is often affected by climate conditions. This study aimed to evaluate covering materials in individual shelters, normally used to house dairy calves, and its influence on the calves physiology and performance. The design used was completely randomized, with a 2x3 factorial arrangement to compare the averages of 5% through the Tukey's test, i.e., both genders-and three types of covering in the shelters (Z - zinc; AC - asbestos cement; and WPAC - white-painted asbestos cement). Parameters evaluated included daily weight gain (DWG), dry matter intake (DMI), feed conversion (FC), rectal temperature (RT), and respiratory frequency (RF). Results showed significant differences (P < 0.05) among males (1.04kg/day) and females (0.74kg/day) for DWG and interaction between gender and treatment (P < 0.05) for zinc covering (0.562kg/day for females and 1.120kg/day for males). Significant differences were also observed in FI of animals housed under shelters with the covering of zinc (48.35kgDM/day for females and 96.91 kgDM/day for males). There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the FC and the RT, and there were significant differences (P < 0.05) for RF in the Z treatments (56.9 mov.min(-1)), WPAC (62.2 mov.min(-1)) and FC (70.25 mov.min-1). It was concluded that different covering materials did not affect performance and dry matter intake of dairy calves. However, the animals' physiology of thermoregulation was altered by the different covering materials used in individual shelters.

The ecological causes of individual specialisation

University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleNational Science Foundation (NSF)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Inflammatory Process Modulation by Homeopathic Arnica montana 6CH: The Role of Individual Variation

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Copy number variation of individual cattle genomes using next-generation sequencing

Copy number variations (CNVs) affect a wide range of phenotypic traits; however, CNVs in or near segmental duplication regions are often intractable. Using a read depth approach based on next-generation sequencing, we examined genome-wide copy number differences among five taurine (three Angus, one Holstein, and one Hereford) and one indicine (Nelore) cattle. Within mapped chromosomal sequence, we identified 1265 CNV regions comprising similar to 55.6-Mbp sequence-476 of which (similar to 38%) have not previously been reported. We validated this sequence-based CNV call set with array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), quantitative PCR (qPCR), and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), achieving a validation rate of 82% and a false positive rate of 8%. We further estimated absolute copy numbers for genomic segments and annotated genes in each individual. Surveys of the top 25 most variable genes revealed that the Nelore individual had the lowest copy numbers in 13 cases (similar to 52%, chi(2) test; P-value <0.05). In contrast, genes related to pathogen- and parasite-resistance, such as CATHL4 and ULBP17, were highly duplicated in the Nelore individual relative to the taurine cattle, while genes involved in lipid transport and metabolism, including APOL3 and FABP2, were highly duplicated in the beef breeds. These CNV regions also harbor genes like BPIFA2A (BSP30A) and WC1, suggesting that some CNVs may be associated with breed-specific differences in adaptation, health, and production traits. By providing the first individualized cattle CNV and segmental duplication maps and genome-wide gene copy number estimates, we enable future CNV studies into highly duplicated regions in the cattle genome.

Biologia de Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks, 1904) (Acari: Tarsonemidae) em algodoeiro

Leaf discs obtained from the first or second non-cotyledonal leaf of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seedlings were used for the study of the biology of Polyphagotarsonemus latus on cotton IAC-20 cultivar. Seedlings were grown in pots and placed on a layer of cotton moistened with distilled water. The assays were carried out at 28.5 ± 0.3°C, relative humidity of 71.0 ± 2.6% and a 14 h photophase. The duration of immature phases was 4.1 ± 0.1 days for females and 4.1 ± 0.3 days for males, with a survival of 91.2%. After a pre-oviposition period of 1.1 ± 0.2 days, the females deposited 4.5 ± 0.9 eggs per day during 6.8 ± 1.3 days, i.e., 29.6 ± 7.3 eggs per female. The longevity was 10.0 ± 1.5 days for females and 8.8 ± 1.1 days for males. The intrinsic rate of increase (rm) was 0.323; finite rate of increase (λ) 1.38 individual per female per day; mean generation time (T) 9.54 days and net reproductive rate (Ro) 21.73.

Oviposition behavior of Ceratitis capitata wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae): Association between oviposition preference and larval performance in individual females

The oviposition preference and larval performance of females of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) were examined. Wild or laboratory-reared females were tested for oviposition preference in relation to papaya fruit in different stages of ripeness, as well as to two different fruits: papaya and apple. The results demonstrated that both laboratory-reared and wild females preferred ripe papaya fruit compared to unripe fruit for oviposition, and that ripe papaya was the best for larval performance. When oviposition preference was tested with different fruits (papaya and apple), both wild and laboratory-reared larvae developed better in papaya. However, only wild females showed a preference for oviposition on papaya as opposed to apple. Laboratory-reared females showed no oviposition preference on fruits that resulted in better larval performance.

Spontaneous eye blink analysis in the normal individual

Purpose: Spontaneous eye blink activity in the primary eye position and its relationship to age and gender were assessed using digital image processing techniques to quantify blink opening and closing time. Methods: One hundred-and-eighty healthy volunteers (90 males and 90 females), divided into the age groups 0-3, 4-12, 13-20, 21-40, 41-60 and ≥60 years old, were evaluated prospectively. They were videotaped digitally in a standard setting and the images were transferred to a personal computer (Macintosh 400) and processed with the iMovie software. Blink opening and closing time were measured at 30 frames/second. The data were then subjected to statistical analysis. Results: The closing time was significantly longer than the opening time for all ages and both genders. Elderly individuals (≥41 years old) and women had significantly longer closing times. Conclusion: Image processing techniques made possible the observation of differences in spontaneous eye blink opening and closing time in relation to age and gender. Copyright © 2005 Taylor & Francis LLC.

Desenvolvimento de núcleos de Apis mellifera alimentados com suplemento aminoácido vitamínico, Promotor L

The development in the area of creates was studied of 14 nuclei with four mass off cells from the division of nine beehives of africanized Apis mellifera honeybees, distributed in two treatments: TPL - nuclei fed with inverted sugar + 3.5ml of the vitaminic amino acid supplement (Promotor L® ), composition for six nuclei and TAI - nuclei fed with composed inverted sugar for eight nuclei. The nuclei had been fed weekly in individual feeder's type tray, and the evaluations carried through in four periods, totalizing 74 days. The treatments had not presented significant difference, being that, number the TPL presented area of creates inferior to TAI (233.63 versus. 273.02cm 2, respectively). How much to the periods the four was superior (P<0.05) to the first and as second, being that the third did not present significant difference (P<0.05) in relation to the others. The use of the TAI was economically more favorable in relation to the TPL in R$0.21 in relation to the cost for production of 1kg of food.

Electrical properties of individual and small ensembles of InAs/InP nanostructures

We investigate electrical properties of InAs/InP semiconductor nanostructures by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) and current measurements at low temperatures in processed devices. Different conductances and threshold voltages for current onset were observed for each type of nanostructure. In particular, the extremity of the wire could be compared to a dot with similar dimensions. The processed devices were used in order to access the in-plane conductance of an assembly of a reduced number of nanostructures. Here, fluctuations on I-V curves at low temperatures (<40 K) were observed. At these low temperatures and for a suitable range of applied voltages, random telegraph noise (RTN) in the current was observed for devices with dots. These fluctuations can be associated to electrons trapped in dots, as suggested by numerical simulations. A crossover from a semiconductor-like to a metallic transport behavior is also observed for similar parameters. © 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Alimentação de Serrasalmus maculatus (Kner, 1858) (characiformes; serrasalmidae) no trecho inferior bacia do rio Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brasil

The aim of this study was to discuss aspects of the diet of Serrasalmus maculatus. Fish were collected using gill nets, whose lengths measured 100 m and mesh diameters varied from 3 to 8 cm. A total of 107 individuals were collected. Their length varied from 62 to 210 mm. They were mainly represented by female and immature individuals. No individual was caught in temperatures below 21°C. Four feeding item categories were observed: fish muscle pieces, parts of fish fins, plant fragments, and insects. Comparisons made among individual length classes revealed some significant differences within stomach consumed contents. Individuals whose length exceeded 165 mm consumed only parts of fish muscles and plants. The food availability in the environment and the class lengths amplitude may, however, have influenced the results, in which ontogenetic differences should not be precisely observed.