59 research outputs found
Grooming Behavior in Naturally Varroa-Resistant Apis mellifera Colonies From North-Central Argentina
The Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, is an important species in providing honey and pollination services globally. The mite Varroa destructor is the major threat to A. mellifera, and it is associated with the severe colony winter mortality reported in recent decades. However, Varroa mite tolerant or resistant populations of A. mellifera have been detected around the world. A proposed mechanism responsible for limiting mite population growth in the colonies is grooming behavior, the physical removal and injury of mites from the adult bee bodies by individual workers or by their nest-mates. This behavioral strategy has been poorly studied in V. destructor-resistant colonies worldwide, especially in honey bee populations of European origin. In Argentina, honey bee stocks showing survival without mite treatment have been reported. In the present study, European-derived A. mellifera populations established in the Transition Chaco eco-region (Santa Fe province), with a subtropical climate, were characterized at the colony level. A honey bee stock showing natural Varroa-resistance (M) was compared to a Varroa-susceptible stock (C) for parameters of colony status (colony strength, percentage of Varroa infestation in adults and brood, hygienic behavior) and for indirect measures of grooming (percentage of fallen mites and damaged mites). M colonies showed lower phoretic and brood infestation and higher hygienic behavior in early autumn, and higher survival and population strength after wintering, in comparison with C colonies. The mean percentages of fallen mites and of damaged mites, and the injury to mites were higher in M than in C colonies. Our results suggest that, by modulating the parasitization dynamics in colonies, grooming behavior would be associated with the higher survival of Varroa-resistant stock. This study sheds light on how honey bee colonies can adaptively respond to mite pressure by modeling their behavior to resist Varroosis and provides evidence for grooming as an emerging factor evolving by natural selection. Percentage of damaged mites appears to be a reliable measure to enhance this behavior in honey bee colonies by selective breeding. Finally, the importance of improving and protecting locally adapted honey bee populations with natural Varroa resistance for regional apiculture is discussed.Fil: Russo, Romina Maria. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo.; ArgentinaFil: Liendo, María Clara. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo.; ArgentinaFil: Landi, Lucas. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales. Instituto de Recursos Biológicos; ArgentinaFil: Pietronave, Hernán Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Reconquista; ArgentinaFil: Merke, Julieta. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; ArgentinaFil: Fain, Hernan. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Reconquista; ArgentinaFil: Muntaabski, Irina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo.; ArgentinaFil: Palacio, Maria Alejandra. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Rodríguez, Ana Graciela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Hilario Ascasubi; ArgentinaFil: Lanzavecchia, Silvia Beatriz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo.; ArgentinaFil: Scannapieco, Alejandra Carla. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo.; Argentin
Blue-Enriched Light Enhances Alertness but Impairs Accurate Performance in Evening Chronotypes Driving in the Morning
Attention maintenance is highly demanding and typically leads to vigilance decrement
along time on task. Therefore, performance in tasks involving vigilance maintenance for
long periods, such as driving, tends to deteriorate over time. Cognitive performance has
been demonstrated to fluctuate over 24 h of the day (known as circadian oscillations),
thus showing peaks and troughs depending on the time of day (leading to optimal
and suboptimal times of day, respectively). Consequently, vigilance decrements are
more pronounced along time on task when it is performed at suboptimal times of
day. According to research, light exposure (especially blue-enriched white) enhances
alertness. Thus, it has been proposed to prevent the vigilance decrement under
such adverse circumstances. We aimed to explore the effects of blue-enriched white
light (vs. dim light) on the performance of a simulated driving task at a suboptimal
time of day. A group of evening-types was tested at 8 am, as this chronotype had
previously shown their largest vigilance decrement at that time. In the dim light condition,
vigilance decrements were expected on both subjective (as increments in the Karolinska
Sleepiness Scale scores) and behavioral measures [as slower reaction times (RTs) in the
auditory Psychomotor Vigilance Task, slower RTs to unexpected events during driving,
and deteriorated driving accuracy along time on task]. Physiological activation was
expected to decrease (as indexed by an increase of the distal-proximal temperature
gradient, DPG). Under blue-enriched white light, all these trends should be attenuated.
Results from the control dim light condition replicated the vigilance decrement in all
measures. Most important, the blue-enriched white light attenuated this decrement,
leading to both lower DPG and faster RTs. However, it impaired accuracy of driving
performance, and did not have any effect on subjective sleepiness. We conclude
that exposure to blue-enriched light provides an effective countermeasure to enhance
vigilance performance at suboptimal times of day, according to measures such as RTs.
However, it should be considered that alerting effects of light could impair accuracy in
precision tasks as keeping a proper car position. The current findings provide ergonomic
implications for safety and fatigue related management systems.This work was supported by the Spanish and Andalusian
Governments to ÁC (MINECO: PSI2014-58041-P, and Proyectos
de Excelencia JJAA: SEJ-3054) and to JM (MINECO: SAF2013-
49132-C2-1-R)
Mechanisms Involved in Childhood Obesity-Related Bone Fragility
Childhood obesity is one of the major health problems in western countries. The excessive accumulation of adipose tissue causes inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and mitochondrial dysfunctions. Thus, obesity leads to the development of severe co-morbidities including type 2 diabetes mellitus, liver steatosis, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases which can develop early in life. Furthermore, obese children have low bone mineral density and a greater risk of osteoporosis and fractures. The knowledge about the interplay bone tissue and between adipose is still growing, although recent findings suggest that adipose tissue activity on bone can be fat-depot specific. Obesity is associated to a low-grade inflammation that alters the expression of adiponectin, leptin, IL-6, Monocyte Chemotactic Protein 1 (MCP1), TRAIL, LIGHT/TNFSF14, OPG, and TNFα. These molecules can affect bone metabolism, thus resulting in osteoporosis. The purpose of this review was to deepen the cellular mechanisms by which obesity may facilitate osteoporosis and bone fractures
Badge
This chapter explores how and why badges, as objects, are useful devices for geographers interested in radical politics to consider. It also considers how the social role of badges and badging has changed over the lifetime of Antipode. For centuries, badges and insignia of various types have been a means of demonstrating political allegiance. In the Middle Ages, a badge was principally a way of identifying the loyalty of followers to a feudal lord. From the 12th century onwards cheap alloy talismans, or “signs”, that could be worn on the person were also produced as symbols of devotion for Christian pilgrims. Badges serve as a visual archive of political debates and social movements. Political badges can appear earnest, but they are also vehicles for humour, satirising the political mainstream of the moment and other social movements. The symbolism of badges has increasingly become incorporated into neoliberal processes of audit, rankings and credentialism
Theoretical studies of laser-stimulated surface processes III: Effect of vibrational energy transfer on desorption
Bradykinin stimulates GTP hydrolysis in NG108-15 membranes by a high-affinity, pertussis toxin-insensitive GTPase
- …