Search results for "Ears"

Planktic foraminiferal changes in the western Mediterranean Anthropocene

2021

The increase in anthropogenic induced warming over the last two centuries is impacting marine environment. Planktic foraminifera are a globally distributed calcifying marine zooplankton responding sensitively to changes in sea surface temperatures and interacting with the food web structure. Here, we study two high resolution multicore records from two western Mediterranean Sea regions (Alboran and Balearic basins), areas highly affected by both natural climate change and anthropogenic warming. Cores cover the time interval from the Medieval Climate Anomaly to present. Reconstructed sea surface temperatures are in good agreement with other results, tracing temperature changes through the Co…

Morphological variations of crossed-lamellar ultrastructures of Glycymeris bimaculata (Bivalvia) serve as a marine temperature proxy

2020

Abstract Bivalve shells are among the most promising archives for high-resolution seawater temperature reconstructions. However, despite major research advances in bivalve sclerochronology over the past decades, estimating water temperature from shells remains a challenging task. This is largely because the most frequently used and widely accepted temperature proxy in bivalves, i.e., the shell oxygen isotope (δ18Oshell) value, also requires knowledge of changes in δ18O of the water (δ18Owater) in which the bivalve lived, which is rarely available for ancient environments. According to a few recent studies, the size and shape of individual biomineral units (BMUs) of the shell ultrastructure …

Relationship between seed morphological traits and ash and mineral distribution along the kernel using debranning in durum wheats from different geog…

2020

Debranning was applied to durum wheat to the study the relationship between kernel shape and size, and ash and mineral distribution having implications for semolina yield. To this aim four durum wheat genotypes carried out over three environments were selected to determine the morphological and yield traits as well as the distribution along the kernel of the ash, macro- (Na, K, P, Ca, and Mg), and micro-elements (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mo). A descendent ash gradient within the kernel reflects the decreases in the minerals that occurred during debranning. Perciasacchi with high seed weight (TKW) and greater thickness followed by Cappelli showed a more uniform distribution of ash content along t…

Identifying potential areas of expansion for the endangered brown bear (Ursus arctos) population in the cantabrian mountains (NW Spain)

2019

Many large carnivore populations are expanding into human-modified landscapes and the subsequent increase in coexistence between humans and large carnivores may intensify various types of conflicts. A proactive management approach is critical to successful mitigation of such conflicts. The Cantabrian Mountains in Northern Spain are home to the last remaining native brown bear (Ursus arctos) population of the Iberian Peninsula, which is also amongst the most severely threatened European populations, with an important core group residing in the province of Asturias. There are indications that this small population is demographically expanding its range. The identification of the potential are…

The effect of fish life-history structures on the topologies of aquatic food webs

2021

Biological organisms can vastly change their ecological functionality due to changes in body size and diet across their life. Consequently, it has been increasingly recognized that to attain sufficient biological realism, food webs may need to include life-history structures. The objective of the work is to study theoretically whether and how the inclusion of life-history structures affects the food web topology. Topological research was done by applying network theory metrics for three different food web types with two different sizes that were generated by using the niche-model. The dynamical modeling was performed by using an allometric trophic network modeling approach. The different ty…

Integrative descriptions of two new Macrobiotus species (Tardigrada, Eutardigrada, Macrobiotidae) from Mississippi (USA) and Crete (Greece)

2021

In this paper, we describe two new Macrobiotus species from Mississippi (USA) and Crete (Greece) by means of integrative taxonomy. Detailed morphological data from light and scanning electron microscopy, as well as molecular data (sequences of four genetic markers: 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, ITS-2 and COI), are provided in support of the descriptions of the new species. Macrobiotus annewintersaesp. nov. from Mississippi belongs to the Macrobiotus persimilis complex (Macrobiotus clade B) and exhibits a unique egg processes morphology, similar only to Macrobiotus anemone Meyer, Domingue & Hinton, 2014, but mainly differs from that species by the presence of eyes, granulation on all legs, den…

Human tear metabolome

2016

The utility of measuring tear film break-up time for prescribing contact lenses.

2017

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the clinical value of non-invasive keratograph tear film breakup time (NIKBUT) in the assessment of pre-corneal and pre-lens tear film quality for prescribing contact lenses (CLs). Methods Forty-six subjects aged 25.5 ± 4.3 (mean ± standard deviation) years were recruited. Visual acuity (VA), anterior eye health checks and NIKBUT were evaluated. On the following day, subjects were fitted with a daily Silicon Hydrogel (SiHy) CL in one eye and a Hydrogel (Hy) CL in the other. After four hours one material for both eyes was chosen based on a qualitative analysis which included VA, CL fitting and comfort. Information about the first and the mean NIKBUT was then cont…

2018

Comparison between adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence and aerobic colony count to assess surface sanitation in the hospital environment

2022

Background: Adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence produced by the firefly luciferase has been successfullyintroduced to verify cleaning procedures in the food industry according to the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Pointprogram.Our aim was to evaluate the reliability of bioluminescence as a tool to monitor the effectiveness of sanitation in healthcaresettings, in comparison with the microbiological gold standard.Methods: 614 surfaces of various material were randomly sampled in Policlinico University Hospital units in Palermo,Italy, to detect adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence and aerobic colony count. Linear regression model andPearson correlation coefficient were used to estimate …