Morphological variation of the newly confirmed population of the javelin sand boa, Eryx jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Serpentes, erycidae) in Sicily, Italy

The presence of the Javelin sand boa in Sicily has recently been confirmed. Here the morphological characters and sexual dimorphism of the Sicilian population of Eryx jaculus are presented. Seven meristic and six metric characters in 96 specimens from Sicily were examined. The results show that tail length, snout-vent length, the distance between nostrils and the number of ventral and subcaudal scales are different between sexes. The characters found in the Sicilian population of the Javelin sand boa resemble those of the African population (ssp. jaculus) rather than the Eurasian population (ssp. turcicus), but biomolecular studies are necessary to understand its taxonomic identity

Observation of Fragile-to-Strong Dynamic Crossover in Protein Hydration Water

At low temperatures proteins exist in a glassy state, a state which has no conformational flexibility and shows no biological functions. In a hydrated protein, at and above 220 K, this flexibility is restored and the protein is able to sample more conformational sub-states, thus becomes biologically functional. This 'dynamical' transition of protein is believed to be triggered by its strong coupling with the hydration water, which also shows a similar dynamic transition. Here we demonstrate experimentally that this sudden switch in dynamic behavior of the hydration water on lysozyme occurs precisely at 220 K and can be described as a Fragile-to-Strong dynamic crossover (FSC). At FSC, the structure of hydration water makes a transition from predominantly high-density (more fluid state) to low-density (less fluid state) forms derived from existence of the second critical point at an elevated pressure.Comment: 6 pages (Latex), 4 figures (Postscript

Spettro trofico di due popolazioni sinantropiche di geco comune, Tarentola mauritanica (Linnaeus, 1758), in Sicilia sud-occidentale

The Moorish gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) is a lizard belonging to the Phyllodactylidae family, with circum-Mediterranean distribution. Despite the species is widespread in Sicily, there are very few studies on its feeding behaviour. This paper analyzes the diet of two synanthropic populations located in southwestern Sicily (province of Trapani) and exposed to different environmental conditions. Fecal remains were collected along the outer walls of an inhabited house in the coastal village of Triscina and in an uninhabited rural house, located near Castelvetrano town. The first study area has been constantly affected by artificial light sources, which are absent in the second study area. Results show in both cases that diets consist exclusively of arthropods, except for a single case of saurophagy on a juvenile Podarcis sp. detected in the \u2018Castelvetrano\u2019 sample. The two populations have significantly different trophic spectra and probably adopt two different foraging strategies. The \u2018Triscina\u2019 sample is characterized by the predominance of few categories of fliers prey generally concentrated by artificial light sources (Coleoptera 39.6%, Neuroptera 38.6%), suggesting the adoption of a \u2018sit-and-wait strategy\u2019. The \u2018Castelvetrano\u2019 sample is instead more varied and characterized by the prevalence of soil-related, and mostly wingless, prey (Dermaptera 36.7%, Formicidae 23.3%, Coleoptera 21.7%, spiders 11.7%), thus suggesting the adoption of an \u2018active foraging strategy\u2019

Psychiatric genetics and the structure of psychopathology

For over a century, psychiatric disorders have been defined by expert opinion and clinical observation. The modern DSM has relied on a consensus of experts to define categorical syndromes based on clusters of symptoms and signs, and, to some extent, external validators, such as longitudinal course and response to treatment. In the absence of an established etiology, psychiatry has struggled to validate these descriptive syndromes, and to define the boundaries between disorders and between normal and pathologic variation. Recent advances in genomic research, coupled with large-scale collaborative efforts like the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, have identified hundreds of common and rare genetic variations that contribute to a range of neuropsychiatric disorders. At the same time, they have begun to address deeper questions about the structure and classification of mental disorders: To what extent do genetic findings support or challenge our clinical nosology? Are there genetic boundaries between psychiatric and neurologic illness? Do the data support a boundary between disorder and normal variation? Is it possible to envision a nosology based on genetically informed disease mechanisms? This review provides an overview of conceptual issues and genetic findings that bear on the relationships among and boundaries between psychiatric disorders and other conditions. We highlight implications for the evolving classification of psychopathology and the challenges for clinical translation

Inscribed Greek Thunderstones as House- and Body-Amulets in Roman Imperial Times

La réutilisation des haches néolithiques (également appelées « celts » ou « pierres de foudre ») comme des amulettes à l’époque romaine est aujourd’hui sous-estimée. En conséquence, la date ancienne des deux petits exemples inscrits du British Museum (BM nos 1* et 504) est maintenant remise en doute, en raison d’une évaluation négative qui découle de l’utilisation insuffisante de comparanda. En comparaison avec le corpus croissant de pierres magiques, les médias de ces deux petites haches (jadéite ou serpentine), leur poli et leur forme semblent en effet suspects et difficiles à évaluer comme gemmes en soi, mais quand on les compare à d’autres haches néolithiques inscrites et anépigraphes trouvées dans sites romains et plus tard, il s’avère que les deux pierres à Londres appartiennent à une catégorie bien définie de « pierres de foudre » réutilisées comme amulettes.The re-use of Neolithic axe-heads (also known as “celts” or “thunderstones”) as amulets in Roman times is nowadays underappreciated. As a result, the ancient date of two small inscribed examples in the British Museum (BM nos. 1* and 504) is now in doubt,a negative assessment that arises from the use of insufficient comparanda. When compared with the growing corpus of magical gems, the media of these two small axe-heads (jadeite or serpentine), their high polish and their shape do indeed seem suspicious and difficult to assess as gems per se, but when viewed alongside other thunderstones, inscribed and uninscribed, found in Roman and later sites, we can see that both of the London stones belong to a clearly defined category of thunderstones reused as amulets

Polymer Dynamics in Block Copolymer Electrolytes Detected by Neutron Spin Echo

Polymer chain dynamics of a nanostructured block copolymer electrolyte, polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (SEO) mixed with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) salt, are investigated by neutron spin echo (NSE) spectroscopy on the 0.1-100 ns time scale and analyzed using the Rouse model at short times (t ≤ 10 ns) and the reptation tube model at long times (t ≥ 50 ns). In the Rouse regime, the monomeric friction coefficient increases with increasing salt concentration, as seen previously in homopolymer electrolytes. In the reptation regime, the tube diameters, which represent entanglement constraints, decrease with increasing salt concentration. The normalized longest molecular relaxation time, calculated from the NSE results, increases with increasing salt concentration. We argue that quantifying chain motion in the presence of ions is essential for predicting the behavior of polymer-electrolyte-based batteries operating at large currents

First data on the repellent activity of essential oils of Citrus limon towards medfly (Ceratitis capitata)

The biological activity of peel essential oils of two Sicilian cultivars of C. limon, ‘Interdonato’ and ‘Lunario’, was investigated by electrophysiological recordings (EAG) and field trials on Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera Tephritidae). The EAG data showed a remarkable dose-response relationship and a low activation threshold dose (10-3M) for both essential oil extracts. In field tests, essential oils showed a good repellent and antiovipositional activi- ty on ‘Navelina’ oranges, and in particular the essential oils of ‘Lunario’ pro- vided the same results of kaolin. Potential applications of essential oils from C. limon cultivars against C. capitata in organic farming are discussed

Biological activity of metabolites extracted from Citrus spp. on Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is one of the most injurious pest at global level. During the last years, several electrophysiological and behavioural studies have been carried out in order to investigate plant volatile compound-insect interactions with the aim to use this knowledge in sustainable control techniques. It has been observed that lemons are not attacked by medfly, probably because of the peel oil, that is toxic to other fruit flies. In the present paper electrophysiological recordings were conducted to evaluate the insect sensitivity to peel extract and peel oil of two Sicilian cultivars (Interdonato and Lunario) of Citrus x limon (L.) Burm.f. on C. capitata females. Behavioural bioassays were also performed to show their possible biological activity (repellent, antioviposition, insecticidal). C. limon peel extracts in different solvents (petroleum ether, dichloromethane and methanol) were investigated at various concentrations using a single cell recording technique (stimulation of tarsal taste chemosensilla). Different tarsal taste cell responses to the two cultivars were recorded. The higher sensitivity was evoked by C. limon Interdonato, particularly to the methanol extract, which elicited significant increases in the spike frequency at increasing concentrations. The peel oil of the same cultivars as well as that ones of other two C. limon varieties (Monachello and Femminello) have been tested by EAG techniques. The EAG data showed a high sensitivity (about -8.0/8.5mV) of the medfly antennae to the oils of Citrus spp. and a clear dose-response relationship. Responses of adult females (virgin and mated) to Citrus spp. peel extract were quantified in a double-choice test using yellow spheres (diameter 7.0cm) housed in field cages. Preliminary tests conducted on three extracts of C. limon Interdonato and Lunario have provided interesting results. It was recorded a general decrease of the oviposition on treated spheres compared to control and in the case of the cultivar Lunario, a mortality of insects