Search results for " colour"
showing 10 items of 85 documents
Coat colours in the Massese sheep breed are associated with mutations in the agouti signalling protein (ASIP) and melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) genes
2012
Massese is an Italian dairy sheep breed characterized by animals with black skin and horns and black or apparent grey hairs. Owing to the presence of these two coat colour types, this breed can be considered an interesting model to evaluate the effects of coat colour gene polymorphisms on this phenotypic trait. Two main loci have been already shown to affect coat colour in sheep: Agouti and Extension coding for the agouti signalling protein (ASIP) and melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) genes, respectively. The Agouti locus is affected by a large duplication including the ASIP gene that may determine the Agouti white and tan allele (A(Wt)). Other disrupting or partially inactivating mutations ha…
Sequence characterization of the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene in sheep with different coat colour and identification of the putative e allele …
2010
Abstract Sequence of the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene (the Extension locus) was obtained from a panel of 73 animals belonging to 9 Italian sheep breeds or populations (Appenninica, Bergamasca, Comisana, Cornigliese-like, Delle Langhe, Massese, Merinizzata Italiana, Sarda and Valle del Belice) with different coat colours. Evaluation of the identified polymorphisms on this phenotype was reported with in silico predictions and comparative approaches within and across breeds and across species. Five novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), organized in three haplotypes, were detected. Another haplotype, including the two missense mutations already described for the ED allele, was id…
Impacts of Climate on the Flux of Dissolved Organic Carbon from Catchments
2010
Recent increases in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in surface waters across both Europe and North America have focused attention on the factors controlling the export of DOC compounds from catchments. Waters containing high concentrations of DOC generally have a characteristic brown colour and are associated with the presence of highly organic soils. Catchments dominated by these soils typically export between 10 and 300 kg DOC ha−1 year−1 (Billett et al., 2004; Laudon et al., 2004; Jonsson et al., 2006). A portion of this DOC is mineralised in streams and lakes to CO2, while the remainder is transported to the sea (Jonsson et al., 2006). Organic matter accumulates in soils w…
Development of a Textile Nanocomposite as Naked Eye Indicator of the Exposition to Strong Acids
2017
[EN] Chemical burns, mainly produced by acids, are a topic of concern. A new sensing material for the detection of strong acids able to be incorporated into textiles has been developed. The material is prepared by the covalent attachment of 2,2 ',4,4 ',4 ''-pentamethoxy triphenyl methanol to a mesoporous material which further is included in a nitro resin to obtain a colourless composite. The response of this composite to diverse acid solutions was tested showing the appearance of an intense purple colour (with a colour difference higher than 160) that can be monitored by the naked eye or could be easily digitised to feed an instrumental sensor. Reversibility and resistance to washing cycle…
Calibration of in situ chlorophyll fluorometers for organic matter
2019
AbstractOrganic matter (OM) other than living phytoplankton is known to affect fluorometric in situ assessments of chlorophyll in lakes. For this reason, calibrating fluorometric measurements for OM error is important. In this study, chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence was measured in situ in multiple Finnish lakes using two sondes equipped with Chl fluorometers (ex.470/em.650–700 nm). OM absorbance (A420) was measured from water samples, and one of the two sondes was also equipped with in situ fluorometer for OM (ex.350/em.430 nm). The sonde with Chl and OM fluorometers was also deployed continuously on an automated water quality monitoring station on Lake Konnevesi. For data from multiple lake…
The role of Doppler ultrasonography in determining the proper surgical approach to the management of varicocele in children and adolescents
2006
In a study from Italy, colour-Doppler ultrasonography was a reliable diagnostic tool in the preoperative assessment of patients with varicocele. The authors also found that it helped to distinguish those who could be treated laparoscopically from those who should be treated by microsurgical subinguinal ligature. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether colour Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) is a reliable diagnostic tool for selecting patients with varicocele to undergo either laparoscopy or open microsurgical subinguinal ligation. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a 3-year period, 42 boys affected by left varicocele were evaluated before surgery by inguinal and scrotal CDUS. Using this method it was possible …
Carotenoid trade-off between parasitic resistance and sexual display: an experimental study in the blackbird (Turdus merula).
2008
Many parasites depress the expression of the carotenoid-based colour displays of their hosts, and it has been hypothesized that animals face a trade-off in carotenoid allocation between immune functions and ‘degree of ornamentation’. While numerous correlative studies suggest that parasite infection decreases the intensity of carotenoid-based colour displays, the existence of this trade-off has never been demonstrated experimentally in a host–parasite model. In this study, we used the blackbird ( Turdus merula ) and Isospora (an intestinal parasite) to assess whether this trade-off does indeed exist. Blackbirds were supplemented with carotenoids while simultaneously being exposed to parasi…
Dysfunction of attention switching networks in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
2019
Objective To localise and characterise changes in cognitive networks in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) using source analysis of mismatch negativity (MMN) waveforms. Rationale The MMN waveform has an increased average delay in ALS. MMN has been attributed to change detection and involuntary attention switching. This therefore indicates pathological impairment of the neural network components which generate these functions. Source localisation can mitigate the poor spatial resolution of sensor-level EEG analysis by associating the sensor-level signals to the contributing brain sources. The functional activity in each generating source can therefore be individually measured and investigat…
Evolving management of adolescent varicocele
2008
Abstract Objective To review the evolution in indications for treatment and treatment modalities for adolescent varicocele at our centre, and evaluate the impact of varicocelectomy on final outcome. Patients and methods Between 1995 and 2006, we treated 242 left varicoceles. Preoperative assessment included clinical evaluation, measurement of testicular volumes, and colour-Doppler ultrasound (CDUS). A subinguinal varicocelectomy was performed in 124 patients (group A), and a laparoscopic non-artery-sparing Palomo procedure in the remaining 118 (group B). In group B patients, CDUS was also used to investigate the functional anatomy of varicocele, and all the veins found to be refluxing were …
Comparing different processing methods in apple slice drying. Part 1. Performance of microwave, hot air and hybrid methods at constant temperatures
2019
The drying curves, energy efficiency and colour variations of sliced apples dried at various temperatures and using different techniques were evaluated, i.e. microwave (35, 55 and 65 °C), hot air (35, 55, 65 and 75 °C) and combination of both (65 °C). The microwave (MW) tests also included comparison between air recirculation and continuous inlet of fresh air. Each drying method was evaluated at a fixed temperature level by means of a control system based on infrared thermography. The time required to complete the drying process at 65 °C varied from about 44 min for MW with fresh air ventilation (double with air recirculation), to 122 min for hybrid heating and 238 min for hot air. Drying k…