Search results for "Wild"
showing 10 items of 542 documents
Comparison of three different staining methods for the assessment of epididymal red deer sperm morphometry by computerized analysis with ISAS®
2005
When collection of ejaculated sperm samples is not possible, as is the case with wild species, the epididymides of sacrificed wild males become the only possible source of spermatozoa. Mature cauda epididymal spermatozoa display characteristics similar to those of ejaculated sperm cells. The present work proposes a sperm staining technique suitable for the morphometric evaluation of red deer epididymal sperm using a new computerized system. Epididymides from wild animals were extracted no later than 2 h post mortem. After epididymal sectioning, sperm samples were collected, cooled to and equilibrated at 5 °C, and frozen in liquid nitrogen. Before staining, sperm samples were thawed for 20 s…
Sequence variation in couch potato and its effects on life-history traits in a northern malt fly, Drosophila montana
2011
Abstract Couch potato ( cpo ) has previously been connected to reproductive diapause in several insect species including Drosophila melanogaster , where it has been suggested to provide a link between the insulin signalling pathway and the hormonal control of diapause. In the first part of the study we sequenced nearly 3.6 kb of this gene in a northern Drosophila species ( Drosophila montana ) with a robust photoperiodically determined diapause and found several types of polymorphisms along the sequenced area. We also found variation among five Drosophila virilis group species in the length of the 5th exon of cpo and in the site of the stop codon at the end of this exon. The second part of …
ABCC transporters mediate insect resistance to multiple Bt toxins revealed by bulk segregant analysis
2014
[EN] Background: Relatively recent evidence indicates that ABCC2 transporters play a main role in the mode of action of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry1A-type proteins. Mapping of major Cry1A resistance genes has linked resistance to the ABCC2 locus in Heliothis virescens, Plutella xylostella, Trichoplusia ni and Bombyx mori, and mutations in this gene have been found in three of these Bt-resistant strains. Results: We have used a colony of Spodoptera exigua (Xen-R) highly resistant to a Bt commercial bioinsecticide to identify regions in the S. exigua genome containing loci for major resistance genes by using bulk segregant analysis (BSA). Results reveal a region containing three genes fro…
Effects of gender, diet, exogenous melatonin and subchronic PCB exposure on plasma immunoglobulin G in mink
2002
Abstract Effects of different fish-based diets (freshwater smelt, Baltic herring, marine herring/cod offal or their mixtures), gender, β-glucan supplement, exogenous melatonin, and PCB exposure (Aroclor 1242®, 1 mg per animal per day in feed) on plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) in the mink (Mustela vison) were studied. The aims of the study were to find out whether plasma IgG of the mink is affected by the subchronic PCB exposure, and whether biological, nutritional and hormonal effects are large enough to mask the possible IgG response. The concentration of IgG was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Sexual dimorphism was detected, the males having higher levels of pla…
Survey on the presence of non-dioxine-like PCBs (NDL-PCBs) in loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) stranded in south Mediterranean coasts (Sicily, So…
2017
A total of 71 loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) stranded along the coasts of Sicily (Southern Italy) were examined for nonâdioxine like polychlorinated biphenyl (NDL-PCB) levels in muscle and adipose tissue by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) method. The results revealed 6 high-indicator congener (â6PCBIND) levels in 45% of the loggerhead turtles examined, with mean values of 980.39 ± 2508.39 ng/g wet weight in adipose tissue and 102.53 ± 238.58 ng/g wet weight in muscle tissue. The hexachloro and heptachloro PCB congeners were the most abundant in both the sample types. The highest NDL-PCB levels were reached in an adipose tissue sample of a logg…
New Hyperekplexia Mutations Provide Insight into Glycine Receptor Assembly, Trafficking, and Activation Mechanisms*
2013
Hyperekplexia is a syndrome of readily provoked startle responses, alongside episodic and generalized hypertonia, that presents within the first month of life. Inhibitory glycine receptors are pentameric ligand-gated ion channels with a definitive and clinically well stratified linkage to hyperekplexia. Most hyperekplexia cases are caused by mutations in the α1 subunit of the human glycine receptor (hGlyR) gene (GLRA1). Here we analyzed 68 new unrelated hyperekplexia probands for GLRA1 mutations and identified 19 mutations, of which 9 were novel. Electrophysiological analysis demonstrated that the dominant mutations p.Q226E, p.V280M, and p.R414H induced spontaneous channel activity, indicat…
Therapy the Natural Way: A Realist Exploration of the Wilderness Therapy Treatment Process in Adolescent Mental Health Care in Norway
2018
Wilderness therapy has the potential to meet the specific needs of the current adolescent population by providing a rather unique outdoor group treatment. Wilderness therapy is not a new approach to mental health treatment, but its theoretical basis is not yet clearly delineated, in part because of the diversity found across programs and contexts. This article presents a critical realist exploration of a wilderness therapy program that was recently implemented as part of adolescent mental health services in Southern Norway. In this study, we combine fieldwork and interviews for an in-depth investigation of the treatment process, where the objective was to acquire a deeper understanding of t…
Popular uses of wild plant species for medicinal purposes in the Nebrodi Regional Park (North-Eastern Sicily, Italy)
2014
Ethnopharmacological relevance: The area of the Nebrodi Regional Park (North-Eastern Sicily, Italy) has Q3 been quantitatively investigated in an ethnobotanical study for the first time. A total of 90 wild species are used for medicinal purposes and the uses of 5 species have not previously been reported in ethnobotanical studies in Italy (e.g., the use of Arisarum vulgare O. Targ. Tozz. for the treatment of rheumatic pains, the use of Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke for the treatment of liver diseases). Aim of the study: The aim of this paper was to understand to what extent current knowledge on the medicinal use of plants is still an element of the culture within the rural populations of …
Translocation as a novel approach to study effects of a new breeding habitat on reproductive output in wild birds
2011
Environmental conditions under which species reproduce have major consequences on breeding success and subsequent fitness. Therefore breeding habitat choice is ultimately important. Studies rarely address the potential fitness pay-offs of alternative natural breeding habitats by experimental translocation. Here we present a new tool to study fitness consequences of free living birds in different habitats. We translocated a migratory passerine, the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca), to a novel site, where pairs were subjected to a short stay (2-4 days) in a nest box-equipped aviary before being released. We show that it is technically possible to retain birds in the new area for breeding,…
The effect of chronic low-dose environmental radiation on organ mass of bank voles in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
2020
Purpose: Animals are exposed to environmental ionizing radiation (IR) externally through proximity to contaminated soil and internally through ingestion and inhalation of radionuclides. Internal organs can respond to radioactive contamination through physiological stress. Chronic stress can compromise the size of physiologically active organs, but studies on wild mammal populations are scarce. The effects of environmental IR contamination on organ masses was studied by using a wild rodent inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). Material and Methods: The masses of brain, heart, kidney, spleen, liver and lung were assessed from bank voles (Myodes glareolus) captured from areas across r…