Paternity assessment in free ranging wild boar (Sus scrofa) - Are littermates full-sibs?

Multiple paternity within litters occurs in various groups of mammals exhibiting different mating systems. Using seven genetic markers (i.e., microsatellites) we investigated the paternity of littermates in free ranging wild boar (Sus scrofa) in a Mediterranean habitat. Using the software CERVUS 2.0 we estimated the probability of detecting multiple paternity across all loci (D), the probability of paternity (W) and a statistic ∆ that allows the assignment of paternity to the most likely male with strict and relaxed levels of confidence. Multiple paternity was inferred for one of the nine analysed litters at the 80% confidence level. This suggests that a single male may control the access to receptive adult females and it shows that multiple paternity is not very common in the studied free ranging wild boar population. Despite the possible occurrence of sperm competition and/or female cryptic choice, mate guarding seems to play a significant role in sexual selection. To better understand the wild boar’s mating strategies further studies analysing the reproductive success of both sexes and under different environmental conditions should be conducted

Relationships between nutrient composition of flowers and fruit quality in orange trees grown in calcareous soil

A field experiment was conducted in a commercial orange orchard (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb. cv. ‘Valencia late’ grafted on Citrange Troyer) established on a calcareous soil in the south of Portugal, to investigate if flower analysis could be used to predict fruit quality. In April 1996, during full bloom, flowers were collected from 20 trees. In March 1997 the fruits were harvested and their quality evaluated. This procedure was repeated every year during three years. Principal Component Analysis was used to evaluate the patterns of covariation in the concentrations of nutrients in flowers and in fruit quality parameters. Stepwise selection procedures wer then used to develop regression models relating fruit quality parameters to the mineral composition of flowers. The predictive power of the regression models was evaluated using an independent set of data. The mineral composition of flowers at full bloom could be used to predict quality parameters of fruit in the following year, namely fruit fresh weight and the maturation index. Magnesium, Ca and Zn registered in flowers were related to fruit fresh weight estimations and N, P, Mg and Fe were related to fruit maturation index. Reference values were determined for the mineral composition of flowers, corresponding to trees where fruits had a diameter > 76 mm

Redetermination of 4-hydroxy­benzaldehyde

This is a redetermination of the structure of the title compound, C7H6O2, which was first reported by Iwasaki [Acta Cryst. (1977 ▶), B33, 1646–1648]. The results are obtained with greater precision in the present study. Crystal packing is stabilized by inter­molecular O—H⋯O inter­actions between the hydroxyl and aldehyde groups which link the mol­ecules into chains in a zigzag pattern along the [110] plane of the unit cell

Heterozygosity decrease in wild boar mating system. A case of outbreeding avoidance?

In sexually reproducing organisms, the specific combinations of parental alleles can have important consequences on offspring viability and fitness. Accordingly, genetic relationship between mates can be used as a criterion for mate choice. Here, we used microsatellite genetic markers to estimate the genetic relationship between mating pairs in the wild boar, Sus scrofa. Males, females and foetuses proceeding from Portugal, Spain and Hungary were genotyped using 14 microsatellite markers. The genetic relationship between mates was estimated using different measures of foetus heterozygosity. We found that the observed heterozygosity of foetuses was lower than that expected under random mating. This result occurred mainly when Sd2 (relatedness of parental genomes) was used as the heterozygosity measure. After simulations, we concluded that the observed low heterozygosity was possibly due to outbreeding avoidance. Outbreeding avoidance based on genetically different genomes might play an important role in species evolution and its genetic conservation

1,5-Bis(2,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)naphthalene

In the title compound, C22H22N2, the asymmetric unit contains one half-mol­ecule. A crystallographic inversion centre is located at the mid-point of the bond common to both rings, in the central naphthalene unit. Quantum-mechanical ab initio calculations on the isolated mol­ecule showed that the minimum energy configuration occurs when the naphthalene ring system and the pyrrolyl groups deviate only slightly from perpendicularity. In the crystal, due to the effects of crystal packing, the mol­ecule deviates by approximately 4° from the a priori expected ideal value of 90° [C—C—N—C torsion angle = 86.11 (15)°]

The InBIO barcoding initiative database: DNA barcodes of portuguese Diptera 02 - Limoniidae, Pediciidae and Tipulidae

Data PaperBackground The InBIO Barcoding Initiative (IBI) Diptera 02 dataset contains records of 412 crane fly specimens belonging to the Diptera families: Limoniidae, Pediciidae and Tipulidae. This dataset is the second release by IBI on Diptera and it greatly increases the knowledge on the DNA barcodes and distribution of crane flies from Portugal. All specimens were collected in Portugal, including six specimens from the Azores and Madeira archipelagos. Sampling took place from 2003 to 2019. Specimens have been morphologically identified to species level by taxonomists and belong to 83 species in total. The species, represented in this dataset, correspond to about 55% of all the crane fly species known from Portugal and 22% of crane fly species known from the Iberian Peninsula. All DNA extractions and most specimens are deposited in the IBI collection at CIBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resourcesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A mulher com cancro de mama : Experiência subjectiva de sofrimento e apoio social

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao ISPA - Instituto UniversitárioO objectivo do estudo é avaliar a experiência subjectiva de sofrimento da mulher, com cancro de mama, numa fase avançada da doença, em função de algumas variáveis sóciodemográficas e do apoio social percebido. Foi seleccionado um grupo de 32 mulheres de um hospital do distrito de Lisboa, que preencheram o Inventário de Experiências Subjectivas de Sofrimento na Doença (IESSD) de McIntyre & Gameiro (1997), o Questionário de Apoio Social (SSQ-R) de Moreira, Andrez, Moleiro, Silva, Aguiar, & Bernardes (2002) e ainda um Questionário Sócio-Demográfico. Entre os resultados obtidos, pode-se salientar um nível de sofrimento moderado, exceptuando as sub-dimensões perda de vigor físico e alterações afectivo-relacionais, em que os valores são elevados. Por outro lado, o número de pessoas como fonte de apoio social e o item do SSQ-R, “distracção das preocupações”, aparecem associados aos valores obtidos no Inventário de Experiências Subjectivas de Sofrimento na Doença. Este trabalho evidencia a importância da família, como aliada do técnico de saúde, no alívio do sofrimento da mulher, em estado avançado de doença oncológica.The objective of the study is to evaluate the subjective experience of suffering of the woman, with breast cancer in an advanced phase of the illness, in function of some partnerdemographic variable and of the perceived social support. A group of 32 women of a hospital of the district of Lisbon was selected, who had filled the Subjective Experiences of Suffering in the Illness Inventory, the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ-R) and Partner-Demographic Questionnaire. The results show a level of moderate suffering can be pointed out, except the dimensions affective and loss of physical power, where the values are raised. On the other hand, the number of people as source of social support and “distraction of the concerns”, appears associates to the values gotten in the Subjective Experiences of Suffering in the Illness Inventory. This work evidences the meaningful of the family, as allied of the health technician, in the relief of the suffering of the woman, in advanced state of cancer illness

Guanidinium 4-amino­benzoate

In the title compound, CH6N3 +·C7H6NO2 −, the cation and anion lie on crystallographic mirror planes. The 4-amino­benzoate anion is almost in a planar conformation with a maximum deviation of 0.024 (2) Å for the N atom. The bond length in the deprotonated carboxyl group is inter­mediate between those of normal single and double Csp2=O bonds, indicating delocalization of the charge over both O atoms of the COO− group. In the crystal, N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds assemble the ions in layers propagating in the bc plane. This structure is very similar to that of guanidinium benzoate

Mammal endemism in the highlands and escarpments of Angola and Namibia

The highlands and escarpments of Angola and Namibia (HEAN) consist of a series of high-elevation plateaus, escarpment ridges and inselbergs. They are known for their increased capacity to promote speciation and species persistence, but the importance of this area as an endemism centre for mammals remains poorly documented. Here we describe the endemic and near-endemic mammalian taxa occurring in the HEAN. Based on a literature search, we were able to confirm 12 endemic, 13 possible endemic and 20 near-endemic mammalian taxa, of which 28 are species, 10 are possible undescribed (new) species, and 7 are subspecies. Rodents showed the highest endemism (28 taxa), followed by bats (6 taxa), with only a few other mammalian orders being represented by endemic species here: two carnivores, two bovids, one odd-toed ungulate, two shrews, one sengi, two primates and one hyrax. Most of these endemic mammals have their distribution concentrated in the Angolan section of the HEAN. However, there are considerable knowledge gaps due to the lack of mammal surveys in large parts of the region, in addition to a lack of taxonomic studies utilising modern techniques. As such, new species of bats, rodents and shrews are expected to be documented in the years ahead. Given the alarmingly rapid loss of native habitats in the region, and to avoid losing the unique biological heritage of the HEAN, we recommend the enforcement of regulations protecting native habitat relicts