Search results for " migration"
showing 10 items of 754 documents
Shikonin promotes intestinal wound healing in vitro via induction of TGF-β release in IEC-18 cells
2013
The intestinal barrier is a complex system with a dynamic structure that is designed for the maintenance of homeostasis in healthy individuals. Ulcerative colitis, one of the main manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease, is characterized by an inadequate and delayed wound healing. Shikonin, the active principle in the root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, has demonstrated its ability to attenuate dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis in mice. Moreover, the root of L. erythrorhizon has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of burns, anal ulcers, hemorrhoids and skin wounds. However, the effect of shikonin on intestinal wound healing is unknown. Using an in vi…
Dissemination of oenological yeasts through bird migration in Sicily.
2009
The composition of yeast communities on shown to be dependent on several factors, including geographical location of the vineyard, type of soil, age of the vineyard, grapevine variety and harvesting technique. Moreover, insects and birds were in part responsible for the dissemination of fermentative yeasts during their feeding (Francesca et al, 2009). In order to evaluate the dissemination of fermenting yeasts, migrating and vineyard inhabiting birds were caught and ringed in four experimental sites: “Riserva Naturale Integrale Lago Preola e Ghorghi Tondi” (Mazara del Vallo, TP) and the Sicilian islands of Lampedusa, Ustica and Linosa. The last sites represent important stop-over for migrat…
Pathogenic microorganisms carried by migratorybirds passing through the territory of the island ofUstica, Sicily (Italy)
2011
Several studies have shown that migratory birds play an important role in the ecology, circulation and dissemination of pathogenic organisms. In October 2006, a health status evaluation was performed on a large population of migratory birds passing through the territory of Ustica (Italy), an island located on the migration route of many species of birds to Africa, and various laboratory tests were conducted. In total, 218 faecal swabs and the internal organs of 21 subjects found dead in nets were collected for bacteriological and virological examination, including avian influenza and Newcastle disease. In addition, 19 pooled fresh faecal samples were collected for mycological examination. T…
Reply to Douka et al: Critical evaluation of the Ksâr 'Akil chronologies
2015
Our paper (1) proposes a new chronology for Ksâr 'Akil based on 16 accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) determinations on shells. To minimize the possibility of dating diagenetically compromised samples, we conducted amino acid racemization analyses on the intracrystalline proteins, oxygen isotope analysis, and geochemical characterization of all dated shells. Our calibrated radiocarbon ages fit well with existing Levantine chronologies, but are up to 4,000 y older than Douka et al.’s (2). Our paper explores several possibilities for this difference, whereas Douka et al. (3) provide alternative explanations. They accept our radiocarbon ages as correct but question our sample selection and Ba…
The generation of oligodendroglial cells is preserved in the rostral migratory stream during aging
2013
The subventricular zone (SVZ) is the largest source of newly generated cells in the adult mammalian brain. SVZ-derived neuroblasts migrate via the rostral migratory stream (RMS) to the olfactory bulb (OB), where they differentiate into mature neurons. Additionally, a small proportion of SVZ-derived cells contribute to the generation of myelinating oligodendrocytes. The production of new cells in the SVZ decreases during aging, affecting the incorporation of new neurons into the OB. However, the age-related changes that occur across the RMS are not fully understood. In this study we evaluate how aging affects the cellular organization of migrating neuroblast chains, the proliferation, and th…
Kata Containers: An Emerging Architecture for Enabling MEC Services in Fast and Secure Way
2019
New coming applications will be only possible through Mobile Edge Servers deployed in proximity of the mobile users. Due to the user's mobility and server's workload, service migration will be an integral part of the services. For this reason, a standardized architecture should be designed to accomplish a workload migration in a secure and timely manner. Most research done to date has focused on the use of either virtual machine (VM) or container or a mix of both recently. A final solution might be an architecture only having the advantages of both technologies as the security of the VM and the speed of the containers. Custom solutions, actually, by using both technologies, need continuous …
REVISIONE PRELIMINARE DELLA BIODIVERSITÀ ENTOMOLOGICA DELL’ISOLA DI LAMPEDUSA (SICILIA - ITALIA) PRELIMINARY REVISION OF ENTOMOLOGICAL BIODIVERSITY I…
2013
Lampedusa è un'isola appartenente all'arcipelago delle Pelagie, che è particolarmente interessante per l'aspetto faunistico, in quanto crocevia tra la fauna Europea e Africana. Gli insetti, per la loro abbondanza e diversità in natura, rappresentano una classe nel regno animale particolarmente utile per studiare la biodiversità e i fenomeni di migrazione o emigrazione delle specie, e per valutare inoltre eventuali cambiamenti climatici. Allo stato attuale i dati sull'entomofauna non sono organici e sono riportati in modo spesso frammentario, e la check-list più completa disponibile è datata 1995, quasi venti anni fa. Lo scopo di questo lavoro è stato quello di impiegare nuove tecniche di ri…
Limited potential for bird migration to disperse plants to cooler latitudes
2021
Climate change is forcing the redistribution of life on Earth at an unprecedented velocity1,2. Migratory birds are thought to help plants to track climate change through long-distance seed dispersal3,4. However, seeds may be consistently dispersed towards cooler or warmer latitudes depending on whether the fruiting period of a plant species coincides with northward or southward migrations. Here we assess the potential of plant communities to keep pace with climate change through long-distance seed dispersal by migratory birds. To do so, we combine phenological and migration information with data on 949 seed-dispersal interactions between 46 bird and 81 plant species from 13 woodland communi…
Diel feeding habits of juveniles of Mullus surmuletus (Linneo, 1758) in the lagoon of the Stagnone di Marsala (Western Sicily, Italy)
1999
Diet composition, feeding rhythm, gastric evacuation rate and daily ration were investigated in juvenile Mulhis surmuletus (Linneo, 1758). Fish were collected in the lagoon of the Stagnone di Marsala in western Sicily, in July 1995, during a 24 h sampling period. Copepoda, Polychaeta, Amphipoda and Tanaidacea were shown to be the most frequent prey items. The feeding index values showed two different daily feeding times. A unimodal trend in the daily rhythm of food consumption was derived, with a peak in feeding between 1200 and 2000 h. Gastric evacuation in juvenile M. surmuletus is best described by an exponential model, with a gastric evacuation rate R = 0.66 g h-1 (r = 0.88) (T = 24.45 …
Effect of salinity and temperature on feeding physiology and scope for growth of an invasive species (Brachidontes pharaonis - MOLLUSCA: BIVALVIA) wi…
2008
Abstract The Indo-Pacific mytilid Brachidontes pharaonis (Bivalvia, Fischer 1870) offers an excellent model for the study of “Lessepsian migration” and the successive colonization at new Mediterranean locations. This species in out competing indigenous bivalves is particularly well adapted to Mediterranean conditions and this is likely due to biological characteristics and physio-ecological plasticity. In the present paper, we report on clearance rate (CR), respiration rate (RR) and Scope for Growth (SFG) of B. pharaonis collected from a Western Sicilian pond (Southern Tyrrhenian, MED). Physiological variables were determined in response to a range of temperatures from 11 ° to 20 °C and a b…