A Computer program for estimating population size by the removal method

A BASIC computer program (REMOVAL) was developed to compute in a VAXNMS environment all the calculations of the removal method for population size estimation (catch-effort method for closed populations with constant sampling effort). The program follows the maximum likelihood methodology,checks the failure conditions, applies the appropriate formula, and displays the estimates of population size and catchability, with their standard deviations and coefficients of variation, and two goodness-of-fit statistics with their significance levels. Data of removal experiments for the cyprinodontid fish Aphanius iberus in the Alt Emporda wetlands are used to exemplify the use of the program

Detectings low introgression of invasive alleles in an extensively restocked game bird

Interbreeding of two species in the wild implies introgression of alleles from one species into the other only when admixed individuals survive and successfully backcross with the parental species. Consequently, estimating the proportion of first generation hybrids in a population may not inform about the evolutionary impact of hybridization. Samples obtained over a long time span may offer a more accurate view of the spreading of introgressed alleles in a species" gene pool. Common quail (Coturnix coturnix) populations in Europe have been restocked extensively with farm quails of hybrid origin (crosses with Japanese quails, C. japonica). We genetically monitored a common quail population over 15 years to investigate whether genetic introgression is occurring and used simulations to investigate our power to detect it. Our results revealed that some introgression has occurred, but we did not observe a significant increase over time in the proportion of admixed individuals. However, simulations showed that the degree of admixture may be larger than anticipated due to the limited power of analyses over a short time span, and that observed data was compatible with a low rate of introgression, probably resulting from reduced fitness of admixed individuals. Simulations predicted this could result in extensive admixture in the near future.

¿Animales...?: 'No nada'. Reflexiones de ética animal

Article sobre l'ètica animal i la situació general a nivell espanyol

Estimating extreme value cumulative distribution functions using bias-corrected kernel approaches

We propose a new kernel estimation of the cumulative distribution function based on transformation and on bias reducing techniques. We derive the optimal bandwidth that minimises the asymptotic integrated mean squared error. The simulation results show that our proposed kernel estimation improves alternative approaches when the variable has an extreme value distribution with heavy tail and the sample size is small.

Estimating the value of the metal-ligand bond dissociation enthalpy<D> (M-L) for adducts using empirical equations supported by TG data

In this work is presented and tested (for 106 adducts, mainly of the zinc group halides) two empirical equations supported in TG data to estimate the value of the metal-ligand bond dissociation enthalpy for adducts: <D> (M-O) = t i / g if t i < 420 K and <D> (M-O) = (t i / g ) - 7,75 . 10-2 . t i if t i > 420 K. In this empirical equations, t i is the thermodynamic temperature of the beginning of the thermal decomposition of the adduct, as determined by thermogravimetry, andg is a constant factor that is function of the metal halide considered and of the number of ligands, but is not dependant of the ligand itself. To half of the tested adducts the difference between experimental and calculated values was less than 5%. To about 80% of the tested adducts, the difference between the experimental (calorimetric) and the calculated (using the proposed equations) values are less than 15%.

Sistema em fluxo para determinação espectrofotométrica de uréia em plasma de sangue animal empregando leguminosa como fonte natural da enzima urease

A spectrophotometric flow injection analysis (FIA) procedure employing natural urease enzyme source for the determination of urea in animal blood plasma was developed. Among leguminous plants used in the Brazilian agriculture, the Cajanus cajan specie was selected as urease source considering its efficiency and availability. A minicolumn was filled with leguminous fragments and coupled to the FIA manifold, where urea was on-line converted to ammonium ions and subsequently it was quantified by spectrophotometry. The system was employed to determine urea in animal plasma samples without any prior treatment. Accuracy was assessed by comparison results with those obtained employing the official procedure and no significant difference at 90 % confidence level was observed. Other profitable features such as an analytical throughput of 30 determinations per hour, a reagent consumption of 19.2 mg sodium salicylate, 0.5 mg sodium hipochloride and a relative standard deviation of 1.4 % (n= 12) were also obtained.

The use of non-animal alternatives in the safety evaluations of cosmetics ingredients by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS)

In Europe, the safety evaluation of cosmetics is based on the safety evaluation of each individual ingredient. Article 3 of the Cosmetics Regulation specifies that a cosmetic product made available on the market is to be safe for human health when used normally or under reasonably foreseeable conditions. For substances that cause some concern with respect to human health (e.g. colorants, preservatives, UV-filters), safety is evaluated at the Commission level by a scientific committee, presently called the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS). According to the Cosmetics Regulations, in the EU, the marketing of cosmetics products and their ingredients that have been tested on animals for most of their human health effects, including acute toxicity, is prohibited. Nevertheless, any study dating from before this prohibition took effect is accepted for the safety assessment of cosmetics ingredients. The in vitro methods reported in the dossiers summited to the SCCS are here evaluated from the published reports issued by the scientific committee of the Directorate General of Health and Consumers (DG SANCO); responsible for the safety of cosmetics ingredients. The number of studies submitted to the SCCS that do not involve animals is still low and in general the safety of cosmetics ingredients is based on in vivo studies performed before the prohibition.

The evaluation of hazardous gas components caused by the thermal degradation of plant oils and animal fats

Neste Oil has introduced plant oils and animal fats for the production of NExBTL renewable diesel, and these raw materials differ from the conventional mineral based oils. One subject of new raw materials study is thermal degradation, or in another name pyrolysis, of these organic oils and fats. The aim of this master’s thesis is to increase knowledge on thermal degradation of these new raw materials, and to identify possible gaseous harmful thermal degradation compounds. Another aim is to de-termine the health and environmental hazards of identified compounds. One objective is also to examine the formation possibilities of hazardous compounds in the produc-tion of NExBTL-diesel. Plant oils and animal fats consist mostly of triglycerides. Pyrolysis of triglycerides is a complex phenomenon, and many degradation products can be formed. Based on the literature studies, 13 hazardous degradation products were identified, one of which was acrolein. This compound is very toxic and dangerous to the environment. Own pyrolysis experiments were carried out with rapeseed and palm oils, and with a mix-ture of palm oil and animal fat. At least 12 hazardous compounds, including acrolein, were analysed from the gas phase. According to the experiments, the factors which influence on acrolein formation are the time of the experiment, the sphere (air/hydrogen) in which the experiment is carried out, and the characteristics of the used oil. The production of NExBTL-diesel is not based on pyrolysis. This is why thermal degradation is possible only when abnormal process conditions prevail.

Estimating the effects of fiscal policy under the budget constraint

I reconsider the short-term effects of fiscal policy when both government spending and taxes are allowed to respond to the level of public debt. I embed the long-term government budget constraint in a VAR, and apply this common trends model to US quarterly data. The results overturn some widely held beliefs on fiscal policy effects. The main finding is that expansionary fiscal policy has contractionary effects on output and inflation. Ricardian effects may dominate when fiscal expansions are expected to be adjusted by future tax rises or spending cuts. The evidence supports RBC models with distortionary taxation. We can discard some alternative interpretations that are based on monetary policy reactions or supply-side effects.

The temporal dynamics of resource use by frugivorous birds: a network approach

Ecological network patterns are influenced by diverse processes that operate at different temporal rates. Here we analyzed whether the coupled effect of local abundance variation, seasonally phenotypic plastic responses, and species evolutionary adaptations might act in concert to shape network patterns. We studied the temporal variation in three interaction properties of bird species (number of interactions per species, interaction strength, and interaction asymmetry) in a temporal sequence of 28 plant frugivore interaction networks spanning two years in a Mediterranean shrubland community. Three main hypotheses dealing with the temporal variation of network properties were tested, examining the effects of abundance, switching behavior between alternative food resources, and morphological traits in determining consumer interaction patterns. Our results demonstrate that temporal variation in consumer interaction patterns is explained by short-term variation in resource and bird abundances and seasonal dietary switches between alternative resources (fleshy fruits and insects). Moreover, differences in beak morphology are associated with differences in switching behavior between resources, suggesting an important role of foraging adaptations in determining network patterns. We argue that beak shape adaptations might determine generalist and specialist feeding behaviors and thus the positions of consumer species within the network. Finally, we provide a preliminary framework to interpret phylogenetic signal in plant animal networks. Indeed, we show that the strength of the phylogenetic signal in networks depends on the relative importance of abundance, behavioral, and morphological variables. We show that these variables strongly differ in their phylogenetic signal. Consequently, we suggest that moderate and significant phylogenetic effects should be commonly observed in networks of species interactions. Read More: http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/07-1939.1

Successful therapies for Alzheimer's disease: why so many in animal models and none in humans?

Peering into the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the outsider realizes that many of the therapeutic strategies tested (in animal models) have been successful. One also may notice that there is a deficit in translational research, i.e., to take a successful drug in mice and translate it to the patient. Efforts are still focused on novel projects to expand the therapeutic arsenal to 'cure mice.' Scientific reasons behind so many successful strategies are not obvious. This article aims to review the current approaches to combat AD and to open a debate on common mechanisms of cognitive enhancement and neuroprotection. In short, either the rodent models are not good and should be discontinued, or we should extract the most useful information from those models. An example of a question that may be debated for the advancement in AD therapy is: In addition to reducing amyloid and tau pathologies, would it be necessary to boost synaptic strength and cognition? The debate could provide clues to turn around the current negative output in generating effective drugs for patients. Furthermore, discovery of biomarkers in human body fluids, and a clear distinction between cognitive enhancers and disease modifying strategies, should be instrumental for advancing in anti-AD drug discovery.

Imobilização de enzimas a partir de "kit" comercial: determinação de parâmetros metabólicos em sangue animal empregando multicomutação em fluxo

Automatic flow procedures based on the multicommutation concept, dedicated to the determination of 3-hydroxybutyrate, glucose and cholesterol are proposed. The enzymes were immobilized on glass beads and packed into mini-columns that were coupled to a flow system. Sampling throughputs of 55, 40 and 40 determinations per hour, linear response from 10 to 150, 50 to 600, 25 to 125 mg L-1, detection limits of 1.5, 14 and 4 mg L-1 and relative standard deviations of 1, 2 and 2% for 3-hydroxybutyrate, glucose and cholesterol, respectively, were achieved.

Animal sound : què se sent quan s’és una cabra?

Aquest projecte treballa sobre la possibilitat d'aplicar tècniques d'enregistrament binaural en animals, en concret, en una cabra domèstica. Mitjançant uns micròfons col·locats dins les seves orelles i una petita càmera de vídeo muntada sobre el seu cap, s'obté un material audiovisual que permet fer-se una idea aproximada de com és la seva percepció del món. En base a un estudi de cognició comparada, es pretén trobar maneres de transformar els enregistraments obtinguts per tal d'adaptar el marc psicoacústic humà al de l'animal. L'objectiu és que una persona pugui sentir com ho fa un animal, encara que sigui d'una manera aproximada. Els materials obtinguts al llarg dels enregistraments són el punt de partida per a la construcció de paisatges sonors i peces audiovisuals diverses. Així doncs, el treball s'inicia amb el disseny i construcció d'un micròfon binaural, continua amb enregistraments de camp en animals i acaba amb l'edició, el processat i la composició dels paisatges sonors finals.

Métodos de extração e qualidade da fração lipídica de matérias-primas de origem vegetal e animal

Methodologies of extraction of lipids from chicken breast and oats flakes were evaluated: Soxhlet, Folch et al., Bligh & Dyer and Hara & Radin. For chicken breast, the methods Soxhlet, Folch et al. and Bligh & Dyer presented the highest yields in total lipids. With oat flakes, the methods Soxhlet and Bligh & Dyer presented higher yields than the Hara & Radin and Folch et al. The Soxhlet method affected the quality of the lipid fraction in both samples. Extracted lipid components were separated by thin layer chromatography, the chloroform-methanol based was more efficient to extract the neutral and polar lipids.

Aspectos analíticos e regulatórios na determinação de resíduos de macrolídeos em alimentos de origem animal por cromatografia líquida associada à espectrometria de massas

This is an overview of LC-MS techniques applied for macrolide determination in food, including sample preparation and method validation, as well as the policies adopted by international agencies regarding their presence in food. Techniques for the analysis of macrolides in food normally include solid phase or liquid-liquid extraction followed by HPLC. UHPLC presents advantages in running time, detectability and solvent consumption. Triple-quadrupoles are the most common analyzers in instruments used for the determination of contaminants in food, but time-of-flight and ion-trap spectrometers have been successfully applied for analyses focusing on the investigation of structural formula or the presence of degradation products.