Rodlet cells changes in Oreochromis niloticus in response to organophosphate pesticide and their relevance as stress biomarker in teleost fishes

Rodlet cells are frequently found in teleost fishes and although their role in organisms is not completely understood. The occurrence of these cells are related to stress and may undergo changes in contaminated environments, thereby allowing their use as biomarkers. This hypothesis is tested in the present study. Thirty specimens of Oreochromis niloticus were divided into three groups, two groups were exposed to organophosphate pesticide methyl parathion at nominal concentrations of 4 mgl-1 and 8 mgl-1 and one group was kept as control. After ten days, the gills were removed for microscopic study and the number and area of the rodlet cells were analyzed and compared with a well-established method of assessing histological damages in fishes. No significant differences were found in the area of the cells, but there were significant differences in the number of rodlet cells among examined concentrations. The present study provides evidence for the use of this new biomarker in teleost fishes and discusses some of the potential confounding factors of this approach

Rodlet cells changes in Oreochromis niloticus in response to organophosphate pesticide and their relevance as stress biomarker in teleost fishes

Rodlet cells are frequently found in teleost fishes and although their role in organisms is not completely understood. The occurrence of these cells are related to stress and may undergo changes in contaminated environments, thereby allowing their use as biomarkers. This hypothesis is tested in the present study. Thirty specimens of Oreochromis niloticus were divided into three groups, two groups were exposed to organophosphate pesticide methyl parathion at nominal concentrations of 4 mgl-1 and 8 mgl-1 and one group was kept as control. After ten days, the gills were removed for microscopic study and the number and area of the rodlet cells were analyzed and compared with a well-established method of assessing histological damages in fishes. No significant differences were found in the area of the cells, but there were significant differences in the number of rodlet cells among examined concentrations. The present study provides evidence for the use of this new biomarker in teleost fishes and discusses some of the potential confounding factors of this approach

Lipidic and proteic absorption in digestive tract of tropical fat snook (Centropomus parallelus, POEY 1860)

The tropical fat snook Centropomus parallelus is a species of recognized ecological importance and with a high economical potential for fisheries and aquaculture. The investigations of digestive tube morphology in association with their feeding abilities are fundamental to improve techniques for aquaculture feeding procedures. Sudan black staining and Perl`s method were used to evaluate their absorption capacity of fat and protein respectively. The Sudan black stain was performed 12 h after the ingestion of lipids. The lipids are intensely absorbed in the ceca epithelium and less intensely in the intestine and rectum. The Perl`s method was performed 12 h after the ingestion of ferritin. The proteins are absorbed only in the rectum. This is the first description of fat and protein absorption ability by the digestive tube of fat snook. These data enhance the possibility of the addition of macromolecules in rations that can show a diversity of physiological effects. The histological implications of each segment of the digestive tube in association with fish biology are further discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas - FMUFaculdades Metropolitanas Unidas - FM

Leveraging agricultural value chains to enhance tropical tree cover and slow deforestation (leaves): Synthesis report

Slowing the degradation and clearing of tropical forests and increasing tree cover in agricultural and livestock grazing systems could become a critical part of the global solution to climate change. To realize this potential, improvements in crop and livestock yields must be achieved to reconcile the expansion of forest and tree cover with the growing global demand for food, feed, and fiber from the tropics. The Leveraging Agricultural Value Chains to Enhance Tropical Tree Cover and Slow Deforestation (LEAVES) program, led by the World Bank Group and financed by the Program on Forests (PROFOR) has conducted agricultural commodity case studies involving beef, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, shea butter and soybean to identify key recommendations and lessons that can help the World Bank Group and others realize the potential of reducing deforestation and enhancing tree cover in agricultural landscapes. This Synthesis summarizes the key findings of these case studies. The case studies point to both the positive impacts and the limitations of prevailing international strategies such as REDD+, voluntary certification of sustainablyproduced agricultural and forestry commodities, corporate deforestation pledges, and payment for ecosystems / environmental1 services. Not one of these mechanisms by itself can drive the forest-friendly and tree cover enhancement transformation in tropical production systems that is needed. A new LEAVES paradigm focuses on tropical forest regions and the innovators among governments, farmers, villagers, researchers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and agribusiness companies that are finding local solutions and opportunistically harnessing relevant international strategies and programs. This new paradigm is informed by the following six case studies

An Evaluation of the ALOS PALSAR L-Band Backscatter-Above Ground Biomass Relationship Queensland, Australia: Impacts of Surface Moisture Condition and Vegetation Structure

Focusing on woody vegetation in Queensland, Australia, the study aimed to establish whether the relationship between Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array L-band SAR (PALSAR) HH and HV backscattering coefficients and above ground biomass (AGB) was consistent within and between structural formations (forests, woodlands and open woodlands, including scrub). Across these formations, 2781 plot-based measurements (from 1139 sites) of tree diameters by species were collated, from which AGB was estimated using generic allometric equations. For Queensland, PALSAR fine beam dual (FBD) 50 m strip data for 2007 were provided through the Japanese Space Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Kyoto and Carbon (K&C) Initiative, with up to 3 acquisitions available for each Reference System for Planning (RSP) paths. When individual strips acquired over Queensland were combined, ‘banding’ was evident within the resulting mosaics, with this attributed to enhanced L-band backscatter following rainfall events in some areas. Reference to Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-EOS (AMSR-E) data indicated that strips with enhanced L-band backscatter corresponded to areas with increased effective vegetation water content kg m and, to a lesser extent, soil moisture g cm . Regardless of moisture conditions, L-band HV topographically normalized backscattering intensities backscatter increased asymptotically with AGB, with the saturation level being greatest for forests and least for open woodlands. However, under conditions of relative maximum surface moisture, L-band HV and HH was enhanced by as much as 2.5 and 4.0 dB respectively, particularly for forests of lower AGB, with this resulting in an overall reduction in dynamic range. The saturation level also reduced at L-band HH for forests and woodlands but remained similar for open woodlands. Differences in the rate of increase in both L-band HH and HV with AGB were observed between forests and the woodland categories (for both relatively wet and dry conditions) with these attributed, in part, to differences in the size class distribution and stem density between non-remnant (secondary) forests and remnant woodlands of lower AGB. The study concludes that PALSAR data acquired when surface moisture and rainfall are minimal allow better estimation of the AGB of woody vegetation and that retrieval algorithms ideally need to consider differences in surface moisture conditions and vegetation structure

Contribution of L-band SAR to systematic global mangrove monitoring

cited By 8Information on the status of and changes in mangroves is required for national and international policy development, implementation and evaluation. To support these requirements, a component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency?s (JAXA) Kyoto and Carbon (K&C) initiative has been to design and develop capability for a Global Mangrove Watch (GMW) that routinely monitors and reports on local to global changes in the extent of mangroves, primarily on the basis of observations by Japanese L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR). The GMW aims are as follows: (1) to map progression of change within or from existing (e.g. Landsat-derived) global baselines of the extent of mangroves by comparing advanced land-observing satellite 2 (ALOS-2) phased array L-band SAR 2 (PALSAR-2) data from 2014 with that acquired by the Japanese earth resources satellite (JERS-1) SAR (1992?1998) and ALOS PALSAR (2006?2011); (2) to quantify changes in the structure and associated losses and gains of carbon on the basis of canopy height and above-ground biomass (AGB) estimated from the shuttle radar topographic mission (SRTM; acquired 2000), the ice, cloud and land-elevation satellite (ICESAT) geoscience laser altimeter system (GLAS; 2003?2010) and L-band backscatter data; (3) to determine likely losses and gains of tree species diversity through reference to International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) global thematic layers on the distribution of mangrove species; and (4) to validate maps of changes in the extent of mangroves, primarily through comparison with dense time-series of Landsat sensor data and to use these same data to describe the causes and consequences of change. The paper outlines and justifies the techniques being implemented and the role that the GMW might play in supporting national and international policies that relate specifically to the long-term conservation of mangrove ecosystems and the services they provide to society.Peer reviewe

White shark comparison reveals a slender body for the extinct megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae)

International audienceIn Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS), Automated Driving Systems (ADS), and Driver Assistance Systems (DAS), RGB camera sensors are extensively utilized for object detection, semantic segmentation, and object tracking. Despite their popularity due to low costs, RGB cameras exhibit weak robustness in complex environments, particularly underperforming in low-light conditions, which raises a significant concern. To address these challenges, multi-sensor fusion systems or specialized low-light cameras have been proposed, but their high costs render them unsuitable for widespread deployment. On the other hand, improvements in post-processing algorithms offer a more economical and effective solution. However, current research in low-light image enhancement still shows substantial gaps in detail enhancement on nighttime driving datasets and is characterized by high deployment costs, failing to achieve real-time inference and edge deployment. Therefore, this paper leverages the Swin Vision Transformer combined with a gamma transformation integrated U-Net for the decoupled enhancement of initial low-light inputs, proposing a deep learning enhancement network named Vehicle-based Efficient Low-light Image Enhancement (VELIE). VELIE achieves state-of-the-art performance on various driving datasets with a processing time of only 0.19 s, significantly enhancing high-dimensional environmental perception tasks in low-light conditions