Crops and agriculture during the Iron Age and late antiquity in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Catalonia,Spain)

Various sites in the valley of the Sant Cugat stream in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Catalonia) were subject to systematic archaeobotanical sampling to obtain an overview of the crops and agriculture of the area during the Iron Age and late antiquity. In all cases, the most numerous taxa were crop plants. Among these, cereals were clearly predominant at all sites investigated, especially Hordeum vulgare var. vulgare (hulled barley) and Triticum aestivum/durum (bread or macaroni wheat), both in numbers and frequency. Other cereals, such as Triticum dicoccum (emmer) or Setaria italica (foxtail bristle-grass), were regularly present in considerably lower numbers but in fairly high frequencies. Pulses were much less numerous, although their presence increases in terms of frequency. Among them, clearly the best represented was Lens culinaris (lentil). The results show that the agriculture in the period considered was principally based on winter cereals, with a gradual substitution of hulled barley by bread/hard wheat, accompanied by other cereals of minor importance, led by Triticum dicoccum (emmer), and pulses. The appearance of Vitis (grapevine) in the Iberian period is one of the important characteristics of agriculture in the Iberian world. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

A genome scan for quantitative trait loci affecting the Salmonella carrier-state in the chicken

Selection for increased resistance to Salmonella colonisation and excretion could reduce the risk of foodborne Salmonella infection. In order to identify potential loci affecting resistance, differences in resistance were identified between the N and 6₁ inbred lines and two QTL research performed. In an F2 cross, the animals were inoculated at one week of age with Salmonella enteritidis and cloacal swabs were carried out 4 and 5 wk post inoculation (thereafter called CSW4F2 and CSW4F2) and caecal contamination (CAECF2) was assessed 1 week later. The animals from the (N × 6₁) × N backcross were inoculated at six weeks of age with Salmonella typhimurium and cloacal swabs were studied from wk 1 to 4 (thereafter called CSW1BC to CSW4BC). A total of 33 F₂ and 46 backcross progeny were selectively genotyped for 103 and 135 microsatellite markers respectively. The analysis used least-squares-based and non-parametric interval mapping. Two genome-wise significant QTL were observed on Chromosome 1 for CSW2BC and on Chromosome 2 for CSW4F2, and four suggestive QTL for CSW5F2 on Chromosome 2, for CSW5F2 and CSW2BC on chromosome 5 and for CAECF2 on chromosome 16. These results suggest new regions of interest and the putative role of SAL1.     

Study of amide-proton exchange of Escherichia coli melibiose permease by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy: evidence of structure modulation by substrate binding.

The accessibility of Escherichia coli melibiose permease to aqueous solvent was studied following hydrogen-deuterium exchange kinetics monitored by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy under four distinct conditions where MelB forms different complexes with its substrates (H(+), Na(+), melibiose). Analysis of the amide II band upon (2)H(2)O exposure discloses a significant sugar protection of the protein against aqueous solvent, resulting in an 8% less exchange of the corresponding H(+)*melibiose*MelB complex compared with the protein in the absence of sugar. Investigation of the amide I exchange reveals clear substrate effects on beta-sheet accessibility, with the complex H(+)*melibiose*MelB being the most protected state against exchange, followed by Na(+)*melibiose*MelB. Although of smaller magnitude, similar changes in alpha-helices plus non-ordered structures are detected. Finally, no differences are observed when analyzing reverse turn structures. The results suggest that sugar binding induces a remarkable compactness of the carrier's structure, affecting mainly beta-sheet domains of the transporter, which, according to secondary structure predictions, may include cytoplasmic loops 4-5 and 10-11. A possible catalytic role of these two loops in the functioning of MelB is hypothesized.     

Does Environmental Instability Favor the Production and Horizontal Transmission of Knowledge regarding Medicinal Plants? A Study in Southeast Brazil

Greater socio-environmental instability favors the individual production of knowledge because innovations are adapted to new circumstances. Furthermore, instability stimulates the horizontal transmission of knowledge because this mechanism disseminates adapted information. This study investigates the following hypothesis: Greater socio-environmental instability favors the production of knowledge (innovation) to adapt to new situations, and socio-environmental instability stimulates the horizontal transmission of knowledge, which is a mechanism that diffuses adapted information. In addition, the present study describes “how”, “when”, “from whom” and the “stimulus/context”, in which knowledge regarding medicinal plants is gained or transferred. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews from three groups that represented different levels of socio-environmental instability. Socio-environmental instability did not favor individual knowledge production or any cultural transmission modes, including vertical to horizontal, despite increasing the frequency of horizontal pathways. Vertical transmission was the most important knowledge transmission strategy in all of the groups in which mothers were the most common models (knowledge sources). Significantly, childhood was the most important learning stage, although learning also occurred throughout life. Direct teaching using language was notable as a knowledge transmission strategy. Illness was the main stimulus that triggered local learning. Learning modes about medicinal plants were influenced by the knowledge itself, particularly the dynamic uses of therapeutic resources.     

Diel methane emission patterns from Scirpus lacustris and Phragmites australis

In mature Phragmites australis and Scirpus lacustris vegetated sediment methane was emitted almost exclusively by plant-mediated transport, whereas in unvegetated, but otherwise identical sediment, methane was emitted almost exclusively by ebullition. Diel variations in methane emission, with highest emission rates at daytime and emission peaks following sunrise, were demonstrated for Phragmites and Scirpus. The diel difference and magnitude of the emission peaks were much smaller for Scirpus than for Phragmites. In contrast to Phragmites, methane concentrations within Scirpus stems did not change significantly over the diel period. These patterns are consistent with a two-way transport mechanism for Phragmites (convective at daytime and diffusive at night-time) and an all day diffusive mechanism for Scirpus. The patterns could not be accounted for by diel variation in air and sediment temperature, plant transpiration, or photosynthetically coupled methane production. Comparison of the experimentally derived ratio of methane emission in helium and nitrogen under light and dark conditions with the theoretical derived ratio (calculated according to the kinetic theory of gases) confirmed the exploitation of the different transport mechanism for Phragmites and Scirpus. Methane emission from Phragmites correlated significantly with incident light, which probably drove the pressure differential associated with thermally induced convection. Decrease of the radial resistance of Scirpus stems for methane transport under light compared to dark conditions, in combination with morphological characteristics of the plant species, suggested that stomatal aperture, regulated by light, controls methane emission from Scirpus. Diel variation in bubble emission from the non-vegetated sediment coincided with sediment temperature changes. The results have important implications for sampling and scaling strategies for estimating methane emission from wetlands.     

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of the state of Amazonas,Brazil

The tick fauna of Brazil is currently composed by 72 species. The state of Amazonas is the largest of Brazil, with an area of ≈ 19% of the Brazilian land. Besides its vast geographic area, only 19 tick species have been reported for Amazonas. Herein, lots containing ticks from the state of Amazonas were examined in three major tick collections from Brazil. A total of 5933 tick specimens were examined and recorded, comprising 2693 males, 1247 females, 1509 nymphs, and 484 larvae. These ticks were identified into the following 22 species: Amblyomma cajennense sensu lato, Amblyomma calcaratum, Amblyomma coelebs, Amblyomma dissimile, Amblyomma dubitatum, Amblyomma geayi, Amblyomma goeldii, Amblyomma humerale, Amblyomma latepunctatun, Amblyomma longirostre, Amblyomma naponense, Amblyomma oblongoguttatum, Amblyomma ovale, Amblyomma rotundatum, Amblyomma scalpturatum, Amblyomma varium, Dermacentor nitens, Haemaphysalis juxtakochi, Ixodes cf. Ixodes fuscipes, Ixodes luciae, Rhipicephalus microplus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato. Ticks were collected from 17 (27.4%) out of the 62 municipalities that currently compose the state of Amazonas. The following four species are reported for the first time in the state of Amazonas: A. coelebs, A. dubitatum, H. juxtakochi, and Ixodes cf. I. fuscipes. The only tick species previously reported for Amazonas and not found in the present study is Amblyomma parvum. This study provides a great expansion of geographical and host records of ticks for the state of Amazonas, which is now considered to have a tick fauna composed by 23 species. It is noteworthy that we report 1391 Amblyomma nymphs that were identified to 13 different species.     

A review of the palm genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acrocomia</Emphasis>: Neotropical green gold

The genus Acrocomia, popularly known as macaw palm or macaúba, occurs in savanna areas and open forests of tropical America, with distribution from Central to southern South America. They are important oleaginous palm trees, due to their role in ecosystems and local economies and their potential for biofuel production and vegetable oil. Although the taxonomy of the genus is not resolved because of observed phenotypic diversity in A. aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd. ex Mart., there are several conflicting treatments. Some authors recognize three caulescent spp. occurring in South America: A. aculeata, A. intumescens Drude, and A. totai Mart, although a new one was described recently—Acrocomia corumbaensis. Because some Latin American governments want to expand production of macaw palm in their territory as raw material for agro-energy, several groups have been encouraged to study this genus, focusing on the production of biodiesel, seed germination, phenotypic aspects, and genetic diversity. The goal of this review is to compile key information available in the literature and herbarium data, focusing on South American populations of the genus.     

PHBV‐TiO2 mats prepared by electrospinning technique: Physico‐chemical properties and cytocompatibility

One of the most important challenges in tissue engineering research is the development of biomimetic materials. In this present study, we have investigated the effect of the titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles on the properties of electrospun mats of poly (hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), to be used as scaffold. The morphology of electrospun fibers was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both pure PHBV and nanocomposites fibers were smooth and uniform. However, there was an increase in fiber diameter with the increase of TiO₂ concentration. Thermal properties of PHBV and nanocomposite mats were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). DSC analysis showed that the crystallization temperature for PHBV shifts to higher temperature in the presence of the nanoparticles, indicating that TiO₂ nanoparticles change the process of crystallization of PHBV due to heterogeneous nucleation effect. TGA showed that in the presence of the nanoparticles, the curves are shifted to lower temperatures indicating a decreasing in thermal stability of nanocomposites compared to pure PHBV. To produce scaffolds for tissue engineering, it is important to evaluate the biocompatibility of the material. Cytotoxicity assay showed that TiO₂ nanoparticles were not cytotoxic for cells at the concentration used to synthesize the mats. The proliferation of cells on the mats was evaluated by the MTT assay. Results showed that the nanocomposite samples increased cell proliferation compared to the pure PHBV. These results indicate that continuous electrospun fibrous scaffolds may be a good substrate for tissue regeneration.