Planktonic stages of Processa macrodactyla (Decapoda: Caridea: Processidae) reared in the laboratory

Two ovigerous females of the processid shrimp Processa macrodactyla were caught in April 1997 at 13 m depth in coastal waters of Rota, Cádiz Bay, south-western Spain (36°36′N 6°18′W). Rearing was terminated after nine zoeal stages, when larvae moulted to the first juvenile instar. Descriptions of the appendages of every instar have been made so as to: (1) compare the larval morphology with that of other previous described known species in the genus Processa (P. canaliculata, P. edulis, P. elegantula, P. modica, P. nouveli); and (2) with those larvae not ascribed to a certain species in order to facilitate the specific identification of unknown collected planktonic larvae. When describing P. macrodactyla some characters remained, with few exceptions, invariable in their setation form ZI to ZIV or ZV, to then change and maintain until the last zoeal stage. This can be due to intermediate moults, with the result that some larvae unite the characters of Stages ZIV and ZV and others those of ZV and ZVI

Search for novel proteolytic enzymes aimed at textile and agro-industrial applications: an overview of current and novel approaches

The types and sources of proteolytic enzymes, enzyme assays, strategies for fermentation yield improvement, and novel proteases and their applications in industrial sectors are widely covered in this review. We give a special focus on alkaline proteases for the textile and detergent industries, as well as for the degradation of keratin-rich wastes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Scattering between wobbling kinks

In this paper the scattering between a wobbling kink and a wobbling antikink in the standard $\phi^4$ model is numerically investigated. The dependence of the final velocities, wobbling amplitudes and frequencies of the scattered kinks on the collision velocity and on the initial wobbling amplitude is discussed. The fractal structure becomes more intricate due to the emergence of new resonance windows and the splitting of those arising in the non-excited kink scattering. Outside this phase the final wobbling amplitude exhibits a linear dependence of the collision velocity whereas the final frequency is a decreasing function. By contrast these magnitudes are almost independent of the initial wobbling amplitude.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figure

Novel microbial-mediated modifications of woo

A total of 158 microbial strains, previously isolated from raw wool samples of Portuguese Merino breed of sheep, were screened for extracellular protease activity. The 12 isolates with the highest overall activity were further tested via incubation in nutrient broth, and assaying of cell-free supernatants using casein as substrate protein. The cell-free supernatants of the three isolates exhibiting the best performance were finally tested on knitted wool using bursting strength and area shrinkage as quantitative parameters, and microstructure using scanning electron microscopy as qualitative parameter, to conclude on their putative role upon the fiber features. The aforementioned three isolates produced lower weight loss and area shrinkage than those brought about by a commercial reference enzyme under similar operating conditions, without significantly loosing bursting strength

Qualidade de sementes de gergelim de diferentes posições na planta em comparação a colheita convencional.

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Distribución vertical y horizontal de larvas de Monodaeus couchii frente a la costa sur de Portugal

A strong understanding of larval distribution and abundance is of major value in delineating the location and size of a breeding population of deep-sea species such as Monodaeus couchii. In this study, vertical distribution of the larvae of a brachyuran crab, M. couchii, was assessed during two week-long cruises conducted at the end of January 2006 and 2007 off the South Coast of Portugal. Larvae were collected by oblique plankton hauls with a Longhurst-Hardy Plankton Recorder from the surface to 300 m. Abundance and distribution of zoeae I and II were correlated during both years. For all stages, abundance decreased with depth during the day while it increased with depth at night; the larvae thus displayed reverse diel vertical migration. Abundance of zoeae I and II was correlated with chlorophyll a levels, whereas those of later stages were correlated with neither physical parameters (chlorophyll a, temperature or salinity) nor each other. An ontogenic shift in vertical distribution explained the results; earlier zoeal stages remain in the food-rich upper water column while later stages were not correlated with any physical parameters (i.e. chlorophyll a, salinity or temperature) and migrated to the bottom for settlement.El conocimiento de la distribución y abundancia larval es de vital importancia para comprender la localización y tamaño de la población reproductora adulta en especies abisales como Monodaeus couchii. En este estudio, la distribución vertical de las larvas de un cangrejo braquiuro, M. couchii, se evaluó durante dos campañas de una semana de duración al final de enero de 2006 y 2007, frente a la costa sur de Portugal. Las larvas se recogieron por pescas oblicuas de plancton con un “Longhurst-Hardy Plankton Recorder” (LHPR) desde la superficie hasta 300 m de profundidad. La abundancia y distribución de las zoeas I y II fueron correlacionadas para cada uno de los años de estudio. Para todos los estadios larvares la abundancia disminuyó con la profundidad durante el día, mientras que se incrementó con la profundidad durante la noche, mostrando por tanto un patrón de migración vertical inverso. La abundancia de zoeae I y II se correlacionó con los niveles de clorofila a, mientras que la abundancia de estadios posteriores no mostró correlación alguna con los parámetros físicos (clorofila a, temperatura o salinidad), ni entre sí. Estos resultados indican un cambio ontogénico en la distribución vertical de las larvas; los primeros estadios de zoea permanecen en la zona superficial de la columna de agua rica en alimento, mientras que las ultimas etapas que no mostraron correlación con los parámetros físicos (i.e. clorofila a, salinidad o temperatura) migran a zonas más profundas para el recrutamento