Search results for "Classification"

Phosphorus limitation enhances parasite impact: feedback effects at the population level

2014

Background Nutrient deficiency affects the growth and population dynamics of consumers. Endoparasites can be seen as consumers that drain carbon (C) or energy from their host while simultaneously competing for limiting resources such as phosphorus (P). Depending on the relative demands of the host and the parasite for the limiting nutrient, intensified resource competition under nutrient limitation can either reduce the parasite’s effect on the host or further reduce the fitness of the nutrient-limited host. So far, knowledge of how nutrient limitation affects parasite performance at the host population level and how this affects the host populations is limited. Results We followed the popu…

Oxidative stress biomarkers in the copepod Limnocalanus macrurus from the northern Baltic Sea : effects of hydrographic factors and chemical contamin…

2015

Expansión urbana del Área Metropolitana de Valencia en el periodo 1984-2011 a partir de imágenes Landsat TM y ETM+

2015

La expansión urbana acelerada producida en décadas recientes en las grandes áreas metropolitanas como Valencia conlleva importantes impactos ambientales, entre ellos la impermeabilización o "sellado antropogénico" del suelo y la pérdida de espacios naturales de gran valor paisajístico. Este trabajo analiza la evolución de la cobertura artificial en el Área Metropolitana de Valencia (AMV) en el periodo 1984-2011 a partir de imágenes Landsat TM y ETM+, validadas a partir de datos SIOSE de mayor resolución espacial. Los resultados muestran, con una precisión del 71%, un aumento de la superficie artificial en el AMV de 8000 ha en dicho periodo, lo que supone un incremento del 10% del suelo sell…

Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil of Bupleurum Fontanesii (Apiaceae) Growing Wild in Sicily and its Activity on Microorganisms Affecting Hist…

2016

Hydrodistillation of the flowers (BpFl) of and fruits (BpFr) of Bupleurum fontanesii Guss. ex Caruel gave two oils that were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The main components were α-elemol (16.7%), caryophyllene oxide (16.4%) and heptacosane (15.9%) in BpFl, and spathulenol (16.8%), caryophylladienol I (13.2%) and α-elemol (12.8%) in BpFr. A good antimicrobial activity against several microorganisms, including Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus niger, all infesting historical art craft, was also determined.

Chemical composition and biological activity of the essential oil of Ballota hispanica (L.) Benth. growing wild in Sicily

2015

Ballota L. comprises several relevant species largely used for their excellent therapeutic properties. Ballota hispanica (L.) Benth. is widely used in herbal medicine, and it is sold in herbalist shops for its sedative and antispasmodic properties. Considering its traditional medicinal use and the lack of scientific studies on the volatile components of this species as well as on its biological activities, in this study the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of B. hispanica, collected in Sicily, was evaluated by gas chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. α-Elemol was the most abundant component of the oil (10.9%), followed by α-ylangene (8.5%),…

An arthritogenic alphavirus uses the α1β1 integrin collagen receptor

2005

Ross River (RR) virus is an alphavirus endemic to Australia and New Guinea and is the aetiological agent of epidemic polyarthritis or RR virus disease. Here we provide evidence that RR virus uses the collagen-binding alpha1beta1 integrin as a cellular receptor. Infection could be inhibited by collagen IV and antibodies specific for the beta1 and alpha1 integrin proteins, and fibroblasts from alpha1-integrin-/- mice were less efficiently infected than wild-type fibroblasts. Soluble alpha1beta1 integrin bound immobilized RR virus, and peptides representing the alpha1beta1 integrin binding-site on collagen IV inhibited virus binding to cells. We speculate that two highly conserved regions with…

α-Conotoxins EpI and AuIB switch subtype selectivity and activity in native versus recombinant nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

2003

The Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system was used to determine the activities of alpha-conotoxins EpI and the ribbon isomer of AuIB, on defined nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). In contrast to previous findings on intracardiac ganglion neurones, alpha-EpI showed no significant activity on oocyte-expressed alpha3beta4 and alpha3beta2 nAChRs but blocked the alpha7 nAChR with an IC50 value of 30 nM. A similar IC50 value (103 nM) was obtained on the alpha7/5HT3 chimeric receptor stably expressed in mammalian cells. Ribbon AuIB maintained its selectivity on oocyte-expressed alpha3beta4 receptors but unlike in native cells, where it was 10-fold more potent than native alpha-AuIB, had…

Characterization and antimicrobial activity of the volatile components of the flowers of Magydaris tomentosa (Desf.) DC. collected in Sicily and Alge…

2014

The essential oils of the flowers of Magydaris tomentosa (Desf.) DC. (Apiaceae) collected in Sicily (MSi) and Algeria (MAl), respectively, were obtained by hydrodistillation, and their compositions were analysed. The analyses allowed the identification and quantification of 23 components in MSi and 60 compounds in MAl, respectively, showing a very different profile in the composition of the two populations. The main components of MSi were cembrene (28.2%), α-springene (17.5%) and β-springene (14.8%), also present in MAl but in lesser amount (0.4%, 1.8% and 0.9%, respectively), whereas the principal constituents of MAl were (E)-nerolidol (35.4%), α-costol (13.3%) and β-costol (6.8%). Both MS…

Stable carbon and oxygen isotope fractionation in bivalve (Placopecten magellanicus) larval aragonite

2008

Abstract The relationship between stable isotope composition (δ13C and δ18O) in seawater and in larval shell aragonite of the sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus, was investigated in a controlled experiment to determine whether isotopes in larval shell aragonite can be used as a reliable proxy for environmental conditions. The linear relationship between δ13CDIC and δ13Caragonite (r2 = 0.97, p  δ 13 C DIC = 1.15 ( ± 0.05 ) ∗ δ 13 C aragonite - 0.85 ( ± 0.04 ) The relationship between δ13CDIC and δ13Caragonite described for P. magellanicus resulted in larval shell aragonite that was depleted on average by 1.82‰ (SD = 0.22‰, range = 1.1–2.1‰) from predicted equilibrium values based on the r…

Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian–Tithonian) stable isotopes (δ18O, δ13C) and Mg/Ca ratios: New palaeoclimate data from Helmsdale, northeast Scotland

2010

Abstract The data presented here provide the first detailed stable isotope ( δ 18 O, δ 13 C) and geochemical (Mg/Ca) investigation of Kimmeridgian–Tithonian belemnites from the Helmsdale Coast, Scotland, UK. Oxygen and carbon stable isotope values from well preserved specimens range from − 2.8 to + 0.3‰ and from − 2.3 to + 2.8‰ respectively. The oxygen isotope data are consistent with palaeotemperatures of up to 24 °C in the Early Kimmeridgian cymodoce Zone and down to 11 °C in the Mid Tithonian rotunda–fittoni Zones. These estimates are strongly supported by the Mg/Ca data, which also indicate a cooling episode (and very similar palaeotemperatures, 11–22 °C) at this time. The cooling event…