Seasonality of marriages in sardinian pastoral and agricultural communities in the nineteenth century

The study of marriage seasonality of populations with different socioeconomic backgrounds may contribute to the better understanding their reproductive behaviours. This study analyses the monthly distribution of marriages in the 19th century in four agricultural villages and four pastoral villages on the island of Sardinia (Italy). The data were derived from 7340 marriage acts (3571 for the four agricultural villages and 3769 for the four pastoral villages). The aim is to ascertain whether the Sardinian agricultural and pastoral communities followed the matrimonial models reported for contemporary Italy and Europe and whether there was a change in the monthly distribution of marriages between the two halves of the 19th century. The results suggest that the marriage seasonality of the Sardinian farmers and shepherds was very similar to the patterns shown in the 19th century by Italian and European agricultural and pastoral communities. The Sardinian farmers preferred to marry in autumn-winter, while the Sardinian shepherds had a very high concentration of marriages in summer-autumn. Both communities avoided marriages in the Advent and Easter periods and in the month of May (dedicated to the Virgin Mary), and the farmers also in August (also dedicated to the Virgin Mary). Despite a certain seasonal stability, there was a significant change in the monthly distribution of marriages between the two halves of the 19th century in both the agricultural and pastoral communities, probably due to a series of laws that transformed the centuries-old socioeconomic system of Sardinia in the second half of the century.     

The applicability of an amidated polysaccharide hydrogel as a cartilage substitute: structural and rheological characterization

An amidic derivative of a carboxymethylcellulose-based hydrogel was obtained and characterized in terms of amidation degree. NMR studies and FT-IR imaging spectroscopy demonstrated that the reaction allowed a polymer to be obtained that was characterized by a regular distribution of amidic groups along the polysaccharide chains. Through this regularity, a homogenous three-dimensional scaffold was obtained, which maintained the thixotropic property of the linear polysaccharide.     

Organization and Regulation of meta Cleavage Pathway Genes for Toluene and o-Xylene Derivative Degradation in Pseudomonas stutzeri OX1

Pseudomonas stutzeri OX1 meta pathway genes for toluene and o-xylene catabolism were analyzed, and loci encoding phenol hydroxylase, catechol 2,3-dioxygenase, 2-hydroxymuconate semialdehyde dehydrogenase, and 2-hydroxymuconate semialdehyde hydrolase were mapped. Phenol hydroxylase converted a broad range of substrates, as it was also able to transform the nongrowth substrates 2,4-dimethylphenol and 2,5-dimethylphenol into 3,5-dimethylcatechol and 3,6-dimethylcatechol, respectively, which, however, were not cleaved by catechol 2,3-dioxygenase. The identified gene cluster displayed a gene order similar to that of the Pseudomonas sp. strain CF600 dmp operon for phenol catabolism and was found to be coregulated by the tou operon activator TouR. A hypothesis about the evolution of the toluene and o-xylene catabolic pathway in P. stutzeri OX1 is discussed.     

Studies on purine turnover in the camel (Camelus dromedarius) and zebu (Bos indicus)

Significantly higher hypoxanthine over uric acid ratios were found in camel plasma and urine, with respect to those of zebu. Enzyme levels of purine catabolism were markedly lower in camel than in zebu liver. Oxidation of hypoxanthine appears to be the limiting step of purine metabolism in camel liver. Any hepatic hypoxanthine appears to be actively converted into IMP in camel liver, rather than oxidized to uric acid.     

Cognitive Modulation of Psychophysical,Respiratory and Autonomic Responses to Cold Pressor Test

In healthy subjects with high hypnotisability (highs) under hypnosis, subjectively effective suggestions for analgesia abolish the increases in blood pressure associated with cold pressor test (cpt) by reducing the peripheral vascular resistance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the suggestions of analgesia on the responses to cpt in healthy highs (n = 22) and in low hypnotisable participants (lows, n = 22) out of hypnosis. Cpt was administered without (CPT) and with suggestions for analgesia (CPT+AN). Psychophysical (pain intensity, pain threshold, cpt duration (time of immersion) and pain tolerance, defined as the difference between cpt duration and pain threshold), respiratory (amplitude and frequency) and autonomic variables (tonic skin conductance, mean RR interval (RR = 1/heart rate), blood pressure, skin blood flow) were studied. The suggestions for analgesia increased cpt duration and RR in both groups, but decreased pain intensity and enhanced pain threshold only in highs; in both groups they did not modulate systolic blood pressure, tonic skin conductance and skin blood flow; thus, increased parasympathetic activity appears responsible for the heart rate reduction induced by suggestions in both groups. In conclusion, our findings show that suggestions modulate pain experience differentially in highs and lows, and are partially effective also in lows. We hypothesize that the mechanisms responsible for the efficacy of suggestions in healthy lows may be involved also in their efficacy in chronic pain patients with low hypnotisability.     

Age-associated increase in PGE2 synthesis and COX activity in murine macrophages is reversed by vitamin E

We previouslyshowed that increased macrophage andPGE₂ production with age is due toenhanced cyclooxygenase (COX) activity and COX-2 expression. This studydetermined the effect of vitamin E supplementation on macrophagePGE₂ synthesis in young and old mice and its underlying mechanism. Mice were fed 30 or 500 parts permillion vitamin E for 30 days. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages from old mice produced significantly morePGE₂ than those from young mice.Vitamin E supplementation reversed the increasedPGE₂ production in old mice buthad no effect on macrophage PGE₂production in young mice. In both LPS-stimulated and unstimulated macrophages, COX activity was significantly higher in old than in youngmice at all intervals. Vitamin E supplementation completely reversedthe increased COX activity in old mice to levels comparable to those ofyoung mice but had no effect on macrophage COX activity of young miceor on COX-1 and COX-2 protein or COX-2 mRNA expression in young or oldmice. Thus vitamin E reverses the age-associated increase in macrophagePGE₂ production and COX activity.Vitamin E exerts its effect posttranslationally, by inhibiting COXactivity.

     

Ecomorphology and foraging behaviour of Pacific boobies

Wing size and shape, expressed as wing loading and aspect ratio respectively, together with bill morphology are parameters that can reveal differences related to the foraging ecology of seabirds. Six species of booby (Sulidae) that inhabit the Pacific are the focus of this study: four mainly pelagic species, Masked Booby Sula dactylatra, Nazca Booby Sula granti, Red‐footed Booby Sula sula and Brown Booby Sula leucogaster, and two coastal species, Blue‐footed Booby Sula nebouxii and Peruvian Booby Sula variegata. Pelagic boobies showed segregation among species in body mass and relative bill size, and they differed in wing morphology (wing loading and aspect ratio) from the coastal boobies. The coastal Peruvian and Blue‐footed Boobies are largely allopatric but overlap in northern Peru. In their area of sympatry, they showed evidence of character displacement in body size and in wing and bill morphology, which suggests that competition plays an important role in sympatry. This study improves our understanding of ecological interactions among Pacific boobies and of how selective pressures have shaped their ecomorphology and foraging behaviours.