Maximized sampling of butterflies to detect temporal changes in tropical communities

There are few papers describing long-term fluctuations and general patterns of temporal diversity in butterfly assemblages in the Neotropical region. The present paper presents a long-term study on the variation in richness and composition of butterflies in a fragment of semi-deciduous forest in Southeastern Brazil, and examines the viability of using maximized butterfly transect counts as a methodology to rapidly and adequately access the local characteristics of butterfly communities. Based on the eight annual standard lists, 518 species in six butterfly families were recorded, representing 74 % of the total butterfly fauna known from the study site. Hesperiidae was the richest family (248 species), followed by Nymphalidae (154), Lycaenidae (49), Riodinidae (29), Pieridae (26), and Papilionidae (12). The accumulation curves show that 8 years of sampling were not enough to result in stable species totals for all butterfly families, especially Hesperiidae and Lycaenidae, which are still increasing in number of species. A great similarity in species composition was observed among all the years (54 %). Comparing the similarity between two standard lists at different time intervals (from 1 to 8 years), a clear pattern of increasing dissimilarity was observed in most families. Our results show that the maximized sampling method is effective in revealing temporal patterns of diversity across several years and could be valuable in monitoring temporal variation in butterfly assemblages for conservation purposes, since the obtained standard lists can be successfully compared to temporal patterns over large periods of time.     

A Multicenter,Randomized, Controlled Trial of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment on Preterms

BackgroundDespite some preliminary evidence, it is still largely unknown whether osteopathic manipulative treatment improves preterm clinical outcomes.ResultsA total of 695 newborns were randomly assigned to either the study group (n= 352) or the control group (n=343). A statistical significant difference was observed between the two groups for the primary outcome (13.8 and 17.5 days for the study and control group respectively, p<0.001, effect size: 0.31). Multivariate analysis showed a reduction of the length of stay of 3.9 days (95% CI -5.5 to -2.3, p<0.001). Furthermore, there were significant reductions with treatment as compared to usual care in cost (difference between study and control group: 1,586.01€; 95% CI 1,087.18 to 6,277.28; p<0.001) but not in daily weight gain. There were no complications associated to the intervention.ConclusionsOsteopathic treatment reduced significantly the number of days of hospitalization and is cost-effective on a large cohort of preterm infants.     

Essential role of follicle stimulating hormone in the maintenance of caprine preantral follicle viability in vitro

The aims of the present study were to investigate the effects of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) on survival, activation and growth of caprine primordial follicles using histological and ultrastructural studies. Pieces of caprine ovarian cortex were cultured for 1 or 7 days in minimum essential medium (MEM - control medium) supplemented with different concentrations of FSH (0, 10, 50 or 100 ng/ml). Small fragments from non-cultured ovarian tissue and from those cultured for 1 or 7 days in a specific medium were processed for classical histology and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Additionally, effects of FSH on oocyte and follicle diameter of cultured follicles were evaluated. The results showed that the lowest percentage of normal follicles was observed after 7 days of culture in control medium. After 1 day of culture, a higher percentage of growing follicles was observed in the medium supplemented with 50 ng/ml of FSH. In the presence of 10 and 50 ng/ml of FSH, an increase in diameter of both oocyte and follicle on day 7 of culture was observed. TEM showed ultrastructural integrity of follicles after 1 day of culture in MEM and after 7 days in MEM plus 50 ng/ml FSH, but did not confirm the integrity of those follicles cultured for 7 days in MEM. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that FSH at concentration of 50 ng/ml not only maintains the morphological integrity of 7 days cultured caprine preantral follicles, but also stimulate the activation of primordial follicles and the growth of activated follicles.     

Determination of Moisture Sorption Characteristics of Oat Flour by Static and Dynamic Techniques with and Without Thymol as an Antimicrobial Agent

The effectiveness of thymol as an antimicrobial agent during the determination of equilibrium moisture sorption data at high-water activities (0.50–0.98) was studied at 5, 23, and 45 °C in oat flour. The static gravimetric (SG) method (with and without added thymol) and the dynamic vapor sorption technique (DVS) were used. Microbial growth in samples conditioned in these environments at temperatures of 5 and 45 °C was null indicating no need for the use of thymol at these temperatures. However, samples confined in environments kept at 23 °C, when the SG method was used, needed addition of thymol since mold growth took place in its absence. The statistical comparison between experimental equilibrium moisture content (EMC) mean values showed that, at 45 °C, EMC values obtained using the SG technique with added thymol were significantly higher than those obtained without thymol by both SG and DVS techniques. This could indicate an interaction of thymol with food components or absorption by lipids present. Therefore, caution must be exerted when using thymol as an antimicrobial agent at elevated temperatures and high equilibrium relative humidity. Moisture adsorption isotherms for oat flour were determined using a DVS technique and no isotherm crossover with temperature, as previously reported for this product using thymol as an antimicrobial agent, was exhibited. Moisture sorption data obtained in this work by DVS can be considered more accurate than those previously reported for oat flour, since no external agent was involved during isotherm determinations.     

Post-hatching development of bovine embryos in vitro: the effects of tunnel preparation and gender

The objective of this study was to compare morphological characteristics, kinetics of development, and gene expression of male and female IVP embryos that were cultured until day (D)15 (fertilization = D0), using either phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or Milli-Q water (MQW) to dilute the agarose gel used for tunnel construction. On D11, embryos (n = 286) were placed in agarose gel tunnels diluted in PBS and MQW. Embryos were evaluated for morphology, and embryo size was recorded on D11, D12.5, D14 and D15. Then, embryos were sexed and used for gene expression analyses (G6PD, GLUT1, GLUT3, PGK1, PLAC8, KRT8, HSF1 and IFNT). The percentage of elongated embryos at D15 was higher (p < 0.05) in the PBS (54%) than in the MQW (42%) gel. However, embryos produced in MQW were bigger (p < 0.05) and had a lower expression of GLUT1 (p = 0.08) than those cultured in PBS. There was a higher proportion of male than female embryos at D15 in both treatments, MQW (65% vs. 35%; p < 0.05) and PBS (67% vs. 33%; p < 0.05); however, embryo size was not significantly different between genders. Moreover, D15 female embryos had greater expression of G6PD (p = 0.05) and KRT8 (p = 0.03) than male embryos. In conclusion, the diluent used for tunnel construction affected embryo development in the post-hatching development (PHD) system, and the use of MQW was the most indicative measure for the evaluation of embryo quality. Male and female embryos cultured from D11 to D15, either in an MQW or PBS agarose gel, demonstrated similar development but different gene expression.     

Initial results for urban metal distributions in house dusts of syracuse,New York,USA

A program of house dust sample collection and analysis has begun in Syracuse, New York, USA, in order to determine the feasibility of a geography-based exposure assessment for urban metals. The sampling program, and the protocols it employs, is described for two different types of wipe media, Ghost Wipes and Whatman Filters. Preliminary results show that strong spatial patterns of floor dust loading (mg dust per square foot) can be observed for data aggregated at a spatial scale of about 1600 m (～2.5 km²). Floor dust metal concentrations were similar to those found in other urban environments, with some regional variation. The median floor dust Pb concentration was ～108 mg · kg^?1 for this initial data set of ～264 sampled residential locations, and varied from 50 to 1100 mg Pb · kg^?1.