Search results for "Insect Science"
showing 10 items of 1011 documents
Validation of a mapping and prediction model for human fasciolosis transmission in Andean very high altitude endemic areas using remote sensing data.
2001
The present paper aims to validate the usefulness of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) obtained by satellite remote sensing for the development of local maps of risk and for prediction of human fasciolosis in the Northern Bolivian Altiplano. The endemic area, which is located at very high altitudes (3800-4100 m) between Lake Titicaca and the valley of the city of La Paz, presents the highest prevalences and intensities of fasciolosis known in humans. NDVI images of 1.1 km resolution from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor on board the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) series of environmental satellites appear to provide adequate …
Developmental differences in the uterus of Fasciola hepatica between livestock liver fluke populations from Bolivian highlands and European lowlands
2001
A morphometric study of the uterus area (UA) of Fasciola hepatica adults was carried out with the aid of a computer linked to a stereomicroscopic 3CCD colour video camera using image analysis software. The UA of adult liver flukes found in naturally infected sheep, cattle and pig from the endemic human fascioliasis zone of the northern Bolivian Altiplano highlands was compared with that of flukes found infecting sheep and cattle from Valencia, Spain and cattle from Corsica, France (collectively, European lowlands). Liver fluke UA was examined using an allometric model. A comparison of the allometry of the liver fluke UA in different host species from Bolivia revealed no significant differen…
Phylogeography and genetic divergence of some lymnaeid snails, intermediate hosts of human and animal fascioliasis with special reference to lymnaeid…
1997
Abstract A population genetic study using starch gel electrophoresis was performed on populations of several species of lymnaeid snails acting as intermediate hosts for Fasciola hepatica (Trematoda, Plathyhelminth). Lymnaea viatrix was collected in 16 sites from the Bolivian Northern Altiplano. L. cubensis were obtained in one site from Venezuela, one site from Guadeloupe, three sites from Cuba and one site from the Dominican Republic. L. truncatula were collected in one site from France, one from Portugal and one from Morocco. Multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MEE) were determined for 282 snails at 18 loci. A complete monomorphism was encountered at each geographic site. However, among th…
The evolution of parental care in insects: the roles of ecology, life history and the social environment
2013
Parental care increases the fitness of offspring at a cost to the parents in terms of residual reproductive success. This trade-off may be affected by ecology, life history and the social environment, which raises the question as to how these factors contribute to the evolution of parental care. Here, previous hypotheses concerning the evolution of parental care in insects are summarized and discussed and the underlying empirical evidence is reviewed. Ecological factors such as harsh environments, ephemeral food sources or predation pressure are broadly accepted as evolutionary drivers of parental care. The most consistent evidence supports a role for natural enemies such as predators, micr…
Binding of Bacillus thuringiensis toxins in resistant and susceptible strains of pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella)
2003
Abstract Evolution of resistance by pests could cut short the success of transgenic plants producing toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis, such as Bt cotton. The most common mechanism of insect resistance to B. thuringiensis is reduced binding of toxins to target sites in the brush border membrane of the larval midgut. We compared toxin binding in resistant and susceptible strains of Pectinophora gossypiella, a major pest of cotton worldwide. Using Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac labeled with 125I and brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV), competition experiments were performed with unlabeled Cry1Aa, Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry1Ba, Cry1Ca, Cry1Ja, Cry2Aa, and Cry9Ca. In the susceptible strain, Cry1Aa, Cry1Ab, Cry1…
Molecular Basis for the Interaction of the Hepatitis B Virus Core Antigen with the Surface Immunoglobulin Receptor on Naive B Cells
2001
ABSTRACTThe nucleocapsid of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is composed of 180 to 240 copies of the HBV core (HBc) protein. HBc antigen (HBcAg) capsids are extremely immunogenic and can activate naive B cells by cross-linking their surface receptors. The molecular basis for the interaction between HBcAg and naive B cells is not known. The functionality of this activation was evidenced in that low concentrations of HBcAg, but not the nonparticulate homologue HBV envelope antigen (HBeAg), could prime naive B cells to produce anti-HBc in vitro with splenocytes from HBcAg- and HBeAg-specific T-cell receptor transgenic mice. The frequency of these HBcAg-binding B cells was estimated by both hybridom…
Human Papillomavirus Type 33 E7 Peptides Presented by HLA-DR*0402 to Tumor-Infiltrating T Cells in Cervical Cancer
2000
ABSTRACTSeveral characteristics make human papillomavirus (HPV) amenable to vaccination. Anti-HPV-directed vaccines are based on the observation that HPV E6 and E7 oncoproteins are constitutively expressed in HPV-positive cervical cancer and may serve as tumor rejection antigens. Five HPV types (16, 18, 31, 33, and 45) account for 80% of cervical cancer. Until now, the type of immune response capable of mediating an effective antitumor response has not been defined. In order to define the anticancer-directed immune response in situ, we characterized CD4+and CD8+sorted T cells from peripheral blood lymphocytes, freshly harvested tumor tissue, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) from a p…
Antioxidant Enzymes inOncopeltus fasciatus(Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) Exposed to Cadmium
2003
Abstract Catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were measured together with cadmium (Cd) toxicity and accumulation in newly molted adults of Oncopeltus fasciatus (Dallas) exposed to the metal in drinking water. Insects were provided with either 200 or 20 mg Cd/liter (96-h LC30 and LC10, respectively) or with tap water for 1, 3, 5, and 7 d. Insects exposed to either concentration accumulated Cd in a time-dependent manner. Peroxilipids measured as TBARS were significantly elevated (1.7- to 1.9-fold) from day 3 in insects exposed to 200 mg Cd/liter, whereas TBARS levels of insects exposed to 20 mg Cd/lite…
Olfactory foraging in temperate waters: sensitivity to dimethylsulphide of shearwaters in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
2014
AbstractMany procellariiforms use olfactory cues to locate food patches over the seemingly featureless ocean surface. In particular, some of them are able to detect and are attracted by dimethylsulfide (DMS), a volatile compound naturally occurring over worldwide oceans in correspondence with productive feeding areas. However, current knowledge is restricted to sub-Antarctic species, and to only one study realized under natural conditions at sea. Here, for the first time, we investigated the response to DMS in parallel in two different environments in temperate waters, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, employing Cory's (Calonectris borealis) and Scopoli's shearwaters (Calonectri…
Morphométrie comparée de la première molaire inférieure de différentes populations d'Europe du Pléistocène supérieur du campagnol des steppes Microtu…
2006
The comparative analysis of the first lower molar (M1) of five populations of the steppe vole Microtus gregalis (Pallas, 1779) of the Upper Pleistocene from Romania and Germany has permitted to identify criteria characterising these populations. The proposed hypothesis in order to explain the observed variations between these populations is different chronological migrations of populations of M. gregalis from different climatic and geographical regions.