Search results for "pine"
showing 10 items of 2022 documents
Water temperature, not fish morph, determines parasite infections of sympatric Icelandic threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
2013
Parasite communities of fishes are known to respond directly to the abiotic environment of the host, for example, to water quality and water temperature. Biotic factors are also important as they affect the exposure profile through heterogeneities in parasite distribution in the environment. Parasites in a particular environment may pose a strong selection on fish. For example, ecological differences in selection by parasites have been hypothesized to facilitate evolutionary differentiation of freshwater fish morphs specializing on different food types. However, as parasites may also respond directly to abiotic environment the parasite risk does not depend only on biotic features of the hos…
Movement of forest-dependent dung beetles through riparian buffers in Bornean oil palm plantations
2022
1. Fragmentation of tropical forests is increasing globally, with negative impacts for biodiversity. In Southeast Asia, expansion of oil palm agriculture has caused widespread deforestation, forest degradation and fragmentation. 2. Persistence of forest-dependent species within these fragmented landscapes is likely to depend on the capacity of individuals to move between forest patches. In oil palm landscapes, riparian buffers along streams and rivers are potential movement corridors, but their use by moving animals is poorly studied. 3. We examined how six dung beetle species traversed riparian buffers connected to a continuous forest reserve area within an oil palm plantation in Sabah, Ma…
Analysis of optimal temperature, pressure and binder quantity for the production of biocarbon pellet to be used as a substitute for coke
2019
In order to contribute to the decarbonization of the economy, efficient alternatives to coal and coke should be found not only in the power sector but also in the industrial sectors (like steel, silicon and manganese production) in which coal and coke are used as a reductant and for steel production also as a fuel. To this aim many research works have been focused on the development of a coke substitute based on woody biomass and known as “biocarbon”. There are still barriers to overcome, among them: the biocarbon low density, poor mechanical strength and high reactivity. In this paper a new biocarbon production methodology is proposed, based on: pyrolysis at 600 °C, densification (using py…
El ?Alivio de las Indias?. la Real Hacienda Filipina, 1565-1800
2019
Previo al estudio de la Real Hacienda filipina, el trabajo se centrará en la definición del marco territorial, la función del archipiélago en la estrategia imperial y la gran transformación de finales del siglo xVIII que afectó a su situación en el conjunto colonial. En segundo lugar, se expondrá el estado de la cuestión y las principales hipótesis sobre la evolución del Tesoro filipino y los problemas que planteaba su viabilidad, así como las fuentes y la metodología empleadas. A continuación se examinarán las grandes tendencias de la Hacienda en el largo plazo y los componentes del ingreso y el gasto, para finalizar con algunas conclusiones, en especial la respuesta a la siguiente pregunt…
Long live the alien: is high genetic diversity a pivotal aspect of crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) long-lasting and successful invasion?
2016
AbstractStudying the evolutionary dynamics of an alien species surviving and continuing to expand after several generations can provide fundamental information on the relevant features of clearly successful invasions. Here, we tackle this task by investigating the dynamics of the genetic diversity in invasive crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) populations, introduced to Italy about 1500 years ago, which are still growing in size, distribution range and ecological niche. Using genome-wide RAD markers, we describe the structure of the genetic diversity and the demographic dynamics of theH. cristatainvasive populations and compare their genetic diversity with that of native African populatio…
Rescuing Over-activated Microglia Restores Cognitive Performance in Juvenile Animals of the Dp(16) Mouse Model of Down Syndrome.
2020
Microglia are brain-resident immune cells and regulate mechanisms essential for cognitive functions. Down syndrome (DS), the most frequent cause of genetic intellectual disability, is caused by a supernumerary chromosome 21, containing also genes related to the immune system. In the hippocampus of the Dp(16) mouse model of DS and DS individuals, we found activated microglia, as assessed by their morphology; activation markers; and, for DS mice, electrophysiological profile. Accordingly, we found increased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and altered interferon signaling in Dp(16) hippocampi. DS mice also showed decreased spine density and activity of hippocampal neurons and hippocampus-depe…
Adult rat myelin enhances axonal outgrowth from neural stem cells.
2018
Axon regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI) is attenuated by growth inhibitory molecules associated with myelin. We report that rat myelin stimulated the growth of axons emerging from rat neural progenitor cells (NPCs) transplanted into sites of SCI in adult rat recipients. When plated on a myelin substrate, neurite outgrowth from rat NPCs and from human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural stem cells (NSCs) was enhanced threefold. In vivo, rat NPCs and human iPSC-derived NSCs extended greater numbers of axons through adult central nervous system white matter than through gray matter and preferentially associated with rat host myelin. Mechanistic investigations excluded …
Muscarinic type-1 receptors contribute to I-K,I-ACh in human atrial cardiomyocytes and are upregulated in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation
2018
Background: Basal and acetylcholine-gated inward-rectifier K+-currents (I-K1 and I-K,I-ACh, respectively) are altered in atrial fibrillation (AF). G(i)-protein-coupled muscarinic (M) receptors type-2 are considered the predominant receptors activating I-K,I-ACh. Although a role for G(q)-coupled non-M-2-receptor subtypes has been suggested, the precise regulation of I-K,I-ACh by multiple M-receptor subtypes in the human atrium is unknown. Here, we investigated M-1-receptor-mediated I-K,I-ACh regulation and its remodeling in chronic AF (cAF). Methods and results: M-1-receptor mRNA and protein abundance were increased in atrial cardiomyocyte fractions and atrial homogenates from cAF patients, …
Effects of Chronic Dopamine D2R Agonist Treatment and Polysialic Acid Depletion on Dendritic Spine Density and Excitatory Neurotransmission in the mP…
2016
Dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are key players in the etiology and therapeutics of schizophrenia. The overactivation of these receptors contributes to mPFC dysfunction. Chronic treatment with D2R agonists modifies the expression of molecules implicated in neuronal structural plasticity, synaptic function, and inhibitory neurotransmission, which are also altered in schizophrenia. These changes are dependent on the expression of the polysialylated form of the neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM), a plasticity-related molecule, but nothing is known about the effects of D2R and PSA-NCAM on excitatory neurotransmission and the structure of mPFC pyramidal n…
GABAA receptors in the ventral tegmental area control the outcome of a social competition in rats
2018
Social dominance can be attained through social competitions. Recent work in both humans and rodents has identified trait anxiety as a crucial predictor of social competitiveness. In addition, the anxiolytic GABAA positive modulator, diazepam, injected either systemically or into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) was shown to increase social dominance. Here, we investigated the impact of pharmacologically targeting GABAA receptors in the VTA for the outcome of a social competition between two unfamiliar male rats, one of them infused with vehicle and the other one with the drug under study. We show that infusion of the GABAA receptor agonist, muscimol, reduced anxiety-like behaviors and enha…