Aromatic Plants in Eurasian Blue Tit Nests: The ‘Nest

The ‘Nest Protection Hypothesis’ suggests that some birds add aromatic plants to their nests to repel or kill ectoparasites. This behavior has been described for several species, including the Eurasian Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). We studied the reproductive performance, based on 26 nests (in nest boxes), of this species in mixed forested areas of Quercus spp. and Pinus pinea in the Parque Florestal de Monsanto, the largest park of Lisbon, Portugal. The frequency of aromatic plants in nests was compared with frequency of these plants in the study area. The three most frequent aromatic plants (Dittrichia viscosa, Lavandula dentata, Calamintha baetica) in nests were used more than expected from their availability in the study area. We could not reject the null hypothesis that nest survival rate is independent of the presence of aromatic plants in the nest

Gastroprotective effects of oral nucleotide administration

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Nucleotides form the building blocks of DNA and are marketed as dietary supplements, alone or in combination with other ingredients, to promote general health. However, there has been only limited scientific study regarding the true biological activity of orally administered nucleotides. We therefore tested their efficacy in a variety of models of epithelial injury and repair. METHODS: Effects on proliferation ([(3)H] thymidine incorporation) and restitution (cell migration of wounded monolayers) were analysed using HT29 and IEC6 cells. The ability of a nucleotide mixture to influence gastric injury when administered orally and subcutaneously was analysed using a rat indomethacin (20 mg/kg) restraint model. RESULTS: In both cell lines, cell migration was increased by approximately twofold when added at 1 mg/ml (p<0.01); synergistic responses were seen when a mixture of nucleotides was used. Cell proliferation was stimulated by adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in HT29, but not in IEC6, cells. Gastric injury was reduced by approximately 60% when gavaged at 4–16 mg/ml (p<0.05), concentrations similar to those likely to be found in consumers taking nucleotide supplements. Systemic administration of nucleotides was unhelpful. CONCLUSIONS: Nucleotides possess biological activity when analysed in a variety of models of injury and repair and could provide a novel inexpensive approach for the prevention and treatment of the injurious effects of non steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs and other ulcerative conditions of the bowel. Further studies on their potential benefits (and risks) appear justified

Functional analysis of novel genes differentially expressed genes in heart/hemangioblast precursor cells (H/HPC)

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Leaf Beetles of the Cayman Islands (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Data are presented for 29 chrysomelid species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) occurring in the Cayman Islands, West Indies, 26 of these not having been reported from these islands previously. Altica occidentalis Suffrian is removed from the genus Lysathia Bechyné and reinstated in Altica Geoffroy. Chaetocnema perplexa Blake is synonymized with Chaetocnema confinis Crotch, new synonymy. Omophoita cyanipennis octomaculata (Crotch) is synonymized with Omophoita cyanipennis (Fabricius), new synonymy. The following nine species are named and described: Apraea luciae, Apraea priscilae, Cryptocephalus catharinae, Cryptocephalus kirki, Cryptocephalus paulotigrinus, Longitarsus alisonae, Megistops adiae, Nyctiplanctus bifasciatus, Syphrea thurstonae, all are new species. Taxonomic notes and a key to species, as well as information on plant associations and extralimital distribution, are also provided

Time Management as a Predictive Measure of Secondary School Principals’ Managerial Effectiveness in Southwest Nigeria

Time is the scarcest resource in the universe in which same amount of it is given to individuals without prejudice to their status. Hence, its utilization determines organizational success or otherwise. As the chief manager of secondary schools, ability of the principal in managing his time as well as that of his teachers and students goes a long way in predicting the success or otherwise of school goals, which could in turn enhance or hinder his managerial effectiveness. This study   therefore examined time management as a predictive measure of secondary school principals’ managerial effectiveness in Southwest Nigeria. The descriptive research design of the survey type was used for the study. 80, 291 secondary school teachers in Southwest Nigeria were the population for the study. A sample of 2,040 teachers was selected from 102 Secondary Schools in 17 local Government Areas from 3 States in Southwest Nigeria through random, proportionate and stratified sampling techniques. Information was obtained from the sample through the use of a self-developed instrument   tagged “The Prediction of time Management on Principals’ Managerial Effectiveness Questionnaire”. The instrument was validated with a reliability coefficient of 0.85. The hypothesis was tested with Regression Analysis at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that secondary school principals in Southwest Nigeria were effective in time management. Result also suggested that management of teachers’ time is the best predictor while management of students’ time is the least predictor of principals’ managerial effectiveness. Based on the findings, it was concluded that time management, especially teachers’ time is a predictor of secondary school principals’ managerial effectiveness. Hence, it was recommended that principals should be encouraged to improve upon their managerial effectiveness from being effective to highly effective. It was also recommended that principals should frequently be encouraged by their employer to maintain management of teachers’ time in order to continually enhance attainment of school goals. Keywords: Time, Time Management, Principals and Managerial Effectiveness. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-26-14 Publication date:September 30th 202

Cerberus is a feedback inhibitor of Nodal asymmetric signaling in the chick embryo

The TGF-beta-related molecule Nodal plays an essential and conserved role in left-right patterning of the vertebrate embryo. Previous reports have shown that the zebrafish and mouse Cerberus-related proteins Charon and Cerberus-like-2 (Cerl-2), respectively, act in the node region to prevent the Nodal signal from crossing to the right side, whereas chick Cerberus (cCer) has an unclear function in the left-side mesoderm. In this study, we investigate the transcriptional regulation and function of cCer in left-right development. By analyzing the enhancer activity of cCer 5' genomic sequences in electroporated chick embryos, we identified a cCer left-side enhancer that contains two FoxH1 and one SMAD binding site. We show that these Nodal-responsive elements are necessary and sufficient for the activation of transcription in the left-side mesoderm. In transgenic mouse embryos, cCer regulatory sequences behave as in chick embryos, suggesting that the cis-regulatory sequences of Cerberus-related genes have diverged during vertebrate evolution. Moreover, our findings from cCer overexpression and knockdown experiments indicate that cCer is a negative-feedback regulator of Nodal asymmetric signaling. We propose that cCer and mouse Cerl-2 have evolved distinct regulatory mechanisms but retained a conserved function in left-right development, which is to restrict Nodal activity to the left side of the embryo.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ulcerative colitis: let's talk about extent

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease in which clinical course varies substantially between patients. The extent of the disease is usually pointed out as one of the factors responsible for this variation. With this study, we pretended to evaluate the differences in natural history and pharmacological therapy prescription between left-sided and extended UC

A STUDY ON MASTERING ENGLISH PASSIVE VOICE IN SIMPLE PRESENT, SIMPLE PAST AND SIMPLE FUTURE TENSES BY THE GRADE 12TH STUDENTS OF ESCOLA SECUNDARIA PUBLICA NOBEL DA PAZ, DILI TIMOR-LESTE IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2020

This study is entitled “A study on Mastering English Passive Voice (simple present, simple past and simple future tense) by the Grade 12 Students of Escola Secundária Pública Nobel da Paz, Dili Timor-Leste in the School Year 2020”. The aim of this study is to find out whether or not the grade 12 students master English passive voice as well as to know their mastery level. The population of this study is all the grade 12 students that consisted of four classes and only 30 students who were selected randomly as the sample or respondents. The instrument used for the data collection is a questionnaire in which it comprisis 30 numbers of questions. The methods used in this research are qualitative and quantitative approaches

The activity of cerberus-like 2 during cardiogenesis, morphological and morphogenetics studies

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