Creating Public Awareness of How Goats Are Reared and Milk Produced May Affect Consumer Acceptability

This study evaluated whether showing a video of the different ways of raising goats for milk affected consumer acceptability. Four combinations, 2 Videos (intensive [INT] and semiextensive [SEM] system) × 2 Milk Types (semiskimmed [S] and whole [W] milk), were evaluated by 70 habitual consumers of goat milk, who scored their liking and purchase intention during blind (B), expected (E), and informed (I) acceptability sessions. In the B session, consumers tasted both milk types without information. S samples were preferred over W samples. In the E session, SEM video created high expectations in terms of milk liking and purchase intent, whereas the opposite happened when showing INT video. In the I session, consumers showed a clear preference for combinations created using SEM video, regardless of milk type. W-SEM and S-INT were worse (negative disconfirmation) and better (positive disconfirmation) than expected, respectively. A complete assimilation toward expectations occurred only for S-INT. INT video adversely affected the acceptability of S samples. Concerning purchase intent, W-SEM and S-SEM were worse than expected, but the assimilation was complete only for S-SEM: SEM video increased purchase intent for S samples.     

A biomechanical approach to the analysis of methods and procedures of bariatric surgery

Bariatric surgery includes a variety of procedures that are performed on obese people and aim at decreasing the intake of food and calories. This goal is usually pursued by reducing stomach capacity and/or absorbing capability. Adjustable gastric banding is the most common and successful operation. In general, bariatric surgical procedures are effective, but are often associated with major complications.Surgical procedure and post-surgical conformation of the stomach are usually defined on clinical and surgical basis only. Instead, the optimal configuration should be identified by analyzing the mechanical functionality of the stomach and the surrounding structures, and the relationship between food intake, nutrient adsorption, mechanical stimulation of stomach wall and feeling of satiety.A novel approach to bariatric surgery is required, integrating competences in the areas of biomechanics, physiology and surgery, based on a strong interaction between engineers and clinicians. Preliminary results from coupled experimental and computational investigations are here reported. The analyses aim to develop computational tools for the investigation of stomach mechanical functionality in pre- and post-surgical conformations.     

Stable isotopes identify dispersal patterns of stonefly populations living along stream corridors

1. Populations in different locations can exchange individuals depending on the distribution and connectivity of suitable habitat, and the dispersal capabilities and behaviour of the organisms. We used an isotopic tracer, ¹⁵N, to label stoneflies (Leuctra ferruginea) to determine the extent of adult flight along stream corridors and between streams where their larvae live. 2. In four mass, mark‐capture experiments we added ¹⁵NH₄Cl continuously for several weeks to label specific regions of streams within the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, NH, U.S.A. We collected adult stoneflies along the labelled streams (up to 1.5 km of stream length), on transects through the forest away from labelled sections (up to 500 m), and along an 800‐m reach of adjacent tributary that flows into a labelled stream. 3. Of 966 individual adult stoneflies collected and analysed for ¹⁵N, 20% were labelled. Most labelled stoneflies were captured along stream corridors and had flown upstream a mean distance of 211 m; the net movement of the population (upstream + downstream) estimated from the midpoint of the labelled sections was 126 m upstream. The furthest male and female travelled approximately 730 m and approximately 663 m upstream, respectively. We also captured labelled mature females along an unlabelled tributary and along a forest transect 500 m from the labelled stream, thus demonstrating cross‐watershed dispersal. 4. We conclude that the adjacent forest was not a barrier to dispersal between catchments, and adult dispersal linked stonefly populations among streams across a landscape within one generation. Our data on the extent of adult dispersal provide a basis for a conceptual model identifying the boundaries of these populations, whose larvae are restricted to stream channels, and whose females must return to streams to oviposit.     

Functional diversity for body actions in the mesencephalic locomotor region

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On the electron delocalization in cyclopropenylidenes - An experimental charge-density approach

The extent and nature of cyclic electron delocalization in free and coordinated cyclopropenylidene carbenes has been analyzed by combined experimental and theoretical charge-density studies. The significant asymmetry of the C-C bond lengths in substituted cyclopropenylidene carbenes was identified as cooperative effect which depends on contributions of both σ- and π-bonding. We show that analyses of (i) the topology of the Laplacian of the electron density distribution and (ii) the out-of-plane atomic quadrupole moments - the charge-density analogues of p_π occupation - allow to distinguish between the influence of σ- and π-electrons on cyclic electron delocalization. These studies hint for pronounced electron localization in the carbene lone pair region which dominates the electronic structure of free cyclopropenylidene carbenes and hinders the establishment of true aromaticity. We further investigated the electron donating/withdrawing ability of cyclopropenylidene ligands relative to N-heterocyclic carbenes. The experimental benchmark systems LCr(CO)₅ (L = 2,3-diphenylcyclopropenylidene and 1,2-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene) show that the cyclopropenylidene ligand clearly displays the higher π-acceptor capability relative to N-heterocyclic carbenes.     

Geometric morphometric analysis of the effect of temperature on wing size and shape in Aedes albopictus

Wing geometry helps to identify mosquito species, even cryptic ones. On the other hand, temperature has a well‐known effect on insect metric properties. Can such effects blur the taxonomic signal embedded in the wing? Two strains of Aedes albopictus (laboratory and field strain) were examined under three different rearing temperatures (26, 30 and 33 °C) using landmark‐ and outline‐based morphometric approaches. The wings of each experimental line were compared with Aedes aegypti. Both approaches indicated similar associations between wing size and temperature. For the laboratory strain, the wing size significantly decreased as the temperature increased. For the field strain, the largest wings were observed at the intermediate temperature. The two morphometric approaches describing shape showed different sensibilities to temperature. For both strains and sexes, the landmark‐based approach disclosed significant wing shape changes with temperature changes. The outline‐based approach showed lesser effects, detecting significant changes only in laboratory females and in field males. Despite the size and shape changes induced by temperature, the two strains of Ae. albopictus were always distinguished from Ae. aegypti. The present study confirms the lability of size. However, it also suggests that, despite environmentally‐induced variation, the architecture of the wing still provides a strong taxonomic signal.     

Role of isovaleroyl lipids in channeling of sound in the porpoise melon

Physical properties (e.g. specific gravity, adiabatic compressibility and sound velocity) of lipids isolated from tissues from contiguous areas of the fatty melon of an echo-locating porpoise (Delphinus delphis) were determined to elucidate relations between lipid composition and structure, and sound transmission in the head. Lipid content varied greatly within the melon (13.6–77.6% of the tissue weight) and triacylglycerols (80–100%) were the major lipid components. This lipid class was composed of diisovaleroylglycerides (triacylglycerols containing two isovaleroyl moieties and a long-chain acyl moiety), monoisovaleroyldiacylglycerols and triacylglycerols consisting of long-chain acids. The lipid-rich (>45%) areas in the melon contained a high proportion (>45% of total triacylglycerols) of diisovaleroylglycerides. There were gradations of sound velocities within the melon; the lowest sound velocities were associated with high concentrations of diisovaleroylglycerides (<1400 m/s) and the highest with high concentrations of long-chain triacylglycerols. Assuming an average sound frequency of 75 kHz, and considering dimensions of melon (path length and width of 12–14 cm and 5 cm, respectively), a forward radiating lobe of 15–25 degrees is produced. Thus, the deposition of lipids of different acoustic properties in a three-dimensional matrix within the porpoise melon results in a lens for the projection of sound into the marine environment.     

Decline in American marten occupancy rates at Sagehen Experimental Forest,California

We compared the distribution and frequency of American marten (Martes americana) detections during historic surveys and a recent survey on the Sagehen Experimental Forest (SEF) in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California. This area has been the location of 9 previous marten surveys during 1980–1993, each involving a systematic detection/non-detection survey on the same grid. These data are a time series of information on the occupancy of martens that can be related to habitat change in the study area. Our objectives were to 1) resurvey martens in SEF using methodology similar to previous studies to assess current marten occupancy; 2) evaluate changes in marten occupancy during the period 1980–2008; and 3) examine associations between marten occurence and changes in habitat and landscape metrics. Current marten occupancy was estimated using surveys conducted in summer 2007, winter 2007–2008, and summer 2008. From 1978 to 2007 there was a decrease in predicted habitat patch size, core area, and total amount of marten habitat in the study area, as well as an increase in distance between patches. Marten detections in 2007–2008 were approximately 60% lower than in surveys in the 1980s. We detected no martens in the summers of 2007 and 2008, and 10 detections in winter 2007–2008 were limited to higher elevations in the southwestern portion of SEF. No martens were detected in the lower elevations where most of the recent forest management activity occurred. We suggest that the marten population at SEF has been negatively affected by the loss and fragmentation of habitat. We recommend that future management of forests in the Sagehen basin focus on restoring and connecting residual marten habitat to improve habitat quality for martens. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.     

Location-restricted dyadic interactions and maternal patterns

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of infant restraint on dyadic interactions and maternal foraging patterns. Five bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata) mother-infant dyads were observed under three conditions: high foraging demand for the mothers with nonrestrained contact between mothers and infants (HFD-NRC), high foraging demand with restrained contact (HFD-RC), and low foraging demand with restrained contact (LFD-RC). In the restrained contact conditions the infants lived in a nursery within the group pen that allowed dyadic nursing, contact, proximity, and grooming, but prevented the infants from being with their mothers in the remaining portions of the pen, including the foraging area. Observations began when the infants were a mean of 5.4 months old. HFD-RC resulted in decreased dyadic contact relative to HFD-NRC, but did not significantly affect foraging task engagement; there were, however, marked individual differences in the response patterns of the mothers. Dyadic contact was also decreased during the LFD-RC condition, but maternal patterns under low demand resulted in lower levels of infant contact initiation. This study demonstrated the feasibility of a nursery-restrained rearing paradigm in exploring the strategic patterns of coping with conflicting environmental and maternal demands in bonnet macaque mothers. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.