A new suspected paedomorphic genus of net-winged beetles from the Atlantic Rainforest (Coleoptera, Elateroidea, Lycidae)

Lycidae are among the better studied groups in the superfamily Elateroidea, however despite the progress in the taxonomic understanding of the Neotropical fauna, much still remains unknown and undescribed in the region. The description of the new genus Xenolycus gen. nov., from Serra dos Órgãos, a subrange of the Serra do Mar mountain range, in the Atlantic Rainforest in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, contributes to the knowledge of the Neotropical Lycidae fauna. The new genus can be distinguished from all other known Calopterini and Neotropical Lycidae by the combination of a pronotum with a wide, deep and strongly visible longitudinal cell in the disc area, the filiform antennae, the dehiscent elytra with reticulation strongly reduced and bearing only two weakly developed elytral costae and the mouthparts partially reduced, with rudimentary, barely visible mandibles. The type species, Xenolycus costae sp. nov., is illustrated and diagnostic characters and a discussion on the tribal placement of the new genus are provided

A Human-machine Cooperation Protocol for Machine Translation Output Edit Annotation

We report on a study exploring automatic edit annotation in a post-editing corpus with a new method for computing edit types. We examine edit type association with quality scores assigned to the machine translation output and the post-edited texts. Finally, we account for shortcomings in our method and point out edit types worth leveraging.Presentem un estudi que explora la detecció automàtica d'errors en un corpus de postedició amb un mètode inèdit per calcular tipus d'edició. Examinem la seva associació amb les puntuacions de qualitat assignades a la producció de traducció automàtica i als textos posteditats. Finalment, expliquem les deficiències del nostre mètode i assenyalem els tipus d'edició que val la pena aprofitar.Presentamos un estudio que explora la detección automática de errores en un corpus de posedición con un método novedoso para computar los diferentes tipos de corrección. Examinamos su asociación con la puntuación asignada a la calidad de los resultados de la traducción automática y de los textos poseditados. Por último, analizamos algunos defectos de nuestro método y destacamos los tipos de correcciones que conviene aprovechar

Characterization of rigor mortis of longissimus dorsi and triceps brachii muscles of male cattle carcasses

In this work, six bovine carcasses butchered in a slaughterhouse in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil (SIE 504) were studied and temperature, pH, sarcomere length in different periods after slaughter (1, 5, 8, 12, 15 and24 h) of the longissimus dorsi (LD) and triceps brachii (TB) muscles as well as the shear force (meat tenderness) and colour were evaluated, aiming at characterizing the rigor mortis in the meat during industrial processing. Data statistic treatment demonstrated that carcass temperature and pH decreased gradually during the industrial chilling. The chilly room temperature varied from 10.2 to 4.0°C, the mean initial temperature of longissimus dorsi was 34.03°C and the final one was 7.12°C; the mean initial temperature of Triceps brachii was 39.00°C and the final one was 6.42°C. The mean initial pH of Longissimus dorsi was 6.47 and the final one was 5.46; the mean initial pH of Triceps brachii was 6.66 and the final one was 5.54. The smallest sarcomere size obtained in both muscles occurred at 12 h post mortem, and the sarcomere lengths were 1.44 and 1.41 μm, respectively. As for the colour parameters, the b* value presented higher correlation with the ultimate pH. The absence of cold shortening and the non-occurrence of dark firm and dry (DFD) meat indicate better quality of the meat analyzed.Keywords: Bovine carcass, muscles, rigor morti

Cannabidiol Attenuates Sensorimotor Gating Disruption and Molecular Changes Induced by Chronic Antagonism of NMDA receptors in Mice

Background: Preclinical and clinical data suggest that cannabidiol (CBD), a major non-psychotomimetic compound from Cannabis sativa, induces antipsychotic-like effects. However, the antipsychotic properties of repeated CBD treatment have been poorly investigated. Behavioral changes induced by repeated treatment with glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists have been proposed as an animal model of schizophrenia-like signs. In the present study, we evaluated if repeated treatment with CBD would attenuate the behavioral and molecular modifications induced by chronic administration of one of these antagonists, MK-801. Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice received daily i.p. injections of MK-801 (0.1, 0.5, or 1mg/kg) for 14, 21, or 28 days. Twenty-four hours after the last injection, animals were submitted to the prepulse inhibition (PPI) test. After that, we investigated if repeated treatment with CBD (15, 30, and 60mg/kg) would attenuate the PPI impairment induced by chronic treatment with MK-801 (1mg/kg; 28 days). CBD treatment began on the 6th day after the start of MK-801 administration and continued until the end of the treatment. Immediately after the PPI, the mice brains were removed and processed to evaluate the molecular changes. We measured changes in FosB/ΔFosB and parvalbumin (PV) expression, a marker of neuronal activity and a calciumbinding protein expressed in a subclass of GABAergic interneurons, respectively. Changes in mRNA expression of the NMDAR GluN1 subunit gene (GRN1) were also evaluated. CBD effects were compared to those induced by the atypical antipsychotic clozapine. Results: MK-801 administration at the dose of 1mg/kg for 28 days impaired PPI responses. Chronic treatment with CBD (30 and 60mg/kg) attenuated PPI impairment. MK-801 treatment increased FosB/ΔFosB expression and decreased PV expression in the medial prefrontal cortex. A decreased mRNA level of GRN1 in the hippocampus was also observed. All the molecular changes were attenuated by CBD. CBD by itself did not induce any effect. Moreover, CBD effects were similar to those induced by repeated clozapine treatment

Magnetic response dependence of ZnO based thin films on Ag doping and processing architecture

Multifunctional and multiresponsive thin films are playing an increasing role in modern technology. This work reports a study on the magnetic properties of ZnO and Ag-doped ZnO semiconducting films prepared with a zigzag-like columnar architecture and their correlation with the processing conditions. The films were grown through Glancing Angle Deposition (GLAD) co-sputtering technique to improve the induced ferromagnetism at room temperature. Structural and morphological characterizations have been performed and correlated with the paramagnetic resonance measurements, which demonstrate the existence of vacancies in both as-cast and annealed films. The magnetic measurements reveal changes in the magnetic order of both ZnO and Ag-doped ZnO films with increasing temperature, showing an evolution from a paramagnetic (at low temperature) to a diamagnetic behavior (at room temperature). Further, the room temperature magnetic properties indicate a ferromagnetic order even for the un-doped ZnO film. The results open new perspectives for the development of multifunctional ZnO semiconductors, the GLAD co-sputtering technique enables the control of the magnetic response, even in the un-doped semiconductor materials.The Brazilian agencies CNPq, CAPES partially supports the research. From Portugal side, this work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2020 and the junior research contract (A.F.). Financial support from the Basque Government Industry Department under the ELKARTEK. HAZITEK and PIBA programs is also acknowledged

Back to the Future: Conserving Functional and Phylogenetic Diversity in the Amphibian-Climate Refuges

Climate refuges have been used by several species over historical climate change. Ectothermic species often display good models for climate change studies because they are highly sensitive to temperature. Analysis of species loss with ecosystem and evolutionary values helps to understand environmental processes and climate change consequences. We determined the functional and phylogenetic diversity of amphibians in the Atlantic Forest hotspot, using multiple models representing present and future conditions. Through a novel approach, we predict species’ threat status by 2080, following the IUCN’s criterion B1. Our results estimate a drastic reduction in species richness, ecosystem functioning and evolutionary history at low latitudes and altitudes. We show that species will tend to disperse to the areas with milder temperatures (i.e., high latitudes/altitudes). Some of these areas are the same climate refuges that have been suggested for the Late Pleistocene. We highlight that 60% of amphibians can become threatened under predicted-future conditions. This work advances the knowledge on climate refuges for amphibian ecology and evolution, supporting complementary tools for conservation strategies

Nested-multiplex PCR detection of Orthopoxvirus and Parapoxvirus directly from exanthematic clinical samples

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Reveals Lipid Metabolism of Individual Oocytes and Embryos.

Alteration of maternal lipid metabolism early in development has been shown to trigger obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases later in life in humans and animal models. Here, we set out to determine (i) lipid composition dynamics in single oocytes and preimplantation embryos by high mass resolution desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS), using the bovine species as biological model, (ii) the metabolically most relevant lipid compounds by multivariate data analysis and (iii) lipid upstream metabolism by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis of several target genes (ACAT1, CPT 1b, FASN, SREBP1 and SCAP). Bovine oocytes and blastocysts were individually analyzed by DESI-MS in both positive and negative ion modes, without lipid extraction and under ambient conditions, and were profiled for free fatty acids (FFA), phospholipids (PL), cholesterol-related molecules, and triacylglycerols (TAG). Principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), performed for the first time on DESI-MS fused data, allowed unequivocal discrimination between oocytes and blastocysts based on specific lipid profiles. This analytical approach resulted in broad and detailed lipid annotation of single oocytes and blastocysts. Results of DESI-MS and transcript regulation analysis demonstrate that blastocysts produced in vitro and their in vivo counterparts differed significantly in the homeostasis of cholesterol and FFA metabolism. These results should assist in the production of viable and healthy embryos by elucidating in vivo embryonic lipid metabolism

Uma nova espécie de Epiperipatus (Onychophora: Peripatidae) da região nordeste do Brasil

This article aims to describe and illustrate Epiperipatus cratensis sp. nov. from Crato (coordinates 07°16’S,39°26’W), Ceara State, Brazil. Specimens of onychophorans were collected under stones and decomposing tree barks during the rainy season. E. cratensis differs from all of the species of the genus by having: (i) many pairs of legs, even though it is the second smallest species in size to the genus in Brazil; (ii) fewer rings of antennas than the other Brazilian species. Furthermore, E. cratensis is similar to E. tucupi, especially because females have 34 pairs of legs, and differs morphologically only by being shorter in size. In addition, this two species are located in different biomes: E. tucupi is endemic to the Amazon region, while E. cratensis is derived from Chapada do Araripe mountains, within Atlantic Forest biome of the Brejos de Altitude complex of northeastern Brazil. Key words: high land humid forest, Epiperipatus, peripatidae, onychophora.O presente artigo visa descrever e ilustrar Epiperipatus cratensis sp. nov. proveniente de Crato (coordenadas 07°16’S, 39°26’W), Estado do Ceara, Brasil. Para tanto, os espécimes foram coletados sob pedras e cascas de arvores em decomposição durante a estação chuvosa. E. cratensis difere de todas as espécies do gênero por possuir: (i) um grande número de pares de pernas, mesmo sendo a segunda menor espécie em tamanho para o gênero no Brasil; (ii) menos anéis de antenas que as demais espécies brasileiras. Epiperipatus cratensis é semelhante a E. tucupi, principalmente porque as fêmeas apresentam 34 pares de pernas, diferindo morfologicamente apenas por serem de tamanho menor. Além disso, essas duas espécies estão inseridas em biomas distintos: a E. tucupi endêmica da região amazônica, enquanto a E. cratensis encontra-se na Chapada do Araripe, inserida no complexo dos brejos de altitude nordestinos na Mata Atlântica. Palavras-chave: brejos de altitude, E. cratensis, Onychophora, Peripatidae