Stunting of the penis in Heleobia parchappii (Mollusca: Cochliopidae) and its relationship with parasitism

Penis anatomy is used to discriminate species of gastropods belonging to the family Cochliopidae; however, this characteristic may be affected by the presence of parasites. To evaluate the possible effect of parasites on penis length and number of papillae in Heleobia parchappii, 195 males were collected from the Nahuel Rucá Lagoon, Argentina. Male snails were only infected by trematode digeneans (total prevalence 45.13%). Three out of 9 species of digeneans registered showed prevalence values higher than 10%: Microphallus szidati, M. simillimus, and Notocotylidae sp. 1. The penis length of non-parasitized males and those parasitized by M. szidati and M. similimus increased with increased snail length; however, this increase was lower in infected snails. In the case of snails infected with Notocotylidae sp. 1, no relationship between shell length and penis length was apparent. Differences in the life cycles of these 3 digeneans could explain the null or lower penis growth rate in relation to host body growth. In contrast, no change was observed in the number of penial papillae of H. parchappii when these snails were infected by larval digeneans compared to those that were not infected. This indicates that penial papillae may be a more stable characteristic than penis length to discriminate between species within the Cochliopidae. The study of penial papillae should be central in the taxonomy and identification of new species within the Cochliopidae, as well as in previously described species.Fil: Merlo, Matias Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología. Laboratorio de Parasitología; ArgentinaFil: Parietti, Manuela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología. Laboratorio de Parasitología; ArgentinaFil: Etchegoin, Jorge Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología. Laboratorio de Parasitología; Argentin

Can the studies at a spatial scale of 100s meters detect the spatiotemporal fluctuations of a parasite assemblage?

The importance of small-scale heterogeneity in local factors which overrides that of larger-scales factors, suggest that local factors play a major role in determining the richness and prevalence of larval digeneans in intertidal gastropods. The restricted distribution of the snail Heleobia australis along a 500 m transect in Cangrejo creek (Mar Chiquita, Argentina) provides a good opportunity to test the assumption that a study at spatial scale of 100s meters can detect spatiotemporal fluctuations of a larval digenean assemblage. To analyze that, 3600 specimens of H. australis were collected seasonally during the year 2011. A quantitative variation and a space-time interaction between sampling points and seasons of the year for the total prevalence of larval digeneans and snail’s densities were found, as well as a positive correlation with abiotic factors. These results revealed that the fluctuations in the community of larval digeneans of the snail H. australis can be detected at small spatial scale, using its natural distribution of 500 m. This study also highlights the importance of seasonality as a factor that must be considered in studies focused on the search for patterns structuring the communities of larval digeneans, at medium and large scales.Fil: Parietti, Manuela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencia Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Merlo, Matias Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencia Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Etchegoin, Jorge Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencia Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin

Seroprevalence of human cysticercosis in Maputo, Mozambique.

We carried out a serosurvey for cysticercosis among people visiting the Central Hospital of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, between January and June 1993. A standardized questionnaire was designed to obtain information on demographic, socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioral characteristics related to the transmission of the infection. Four hundred eighty-nine individuals were tested for anti-cysticercosis antibodies: 222 blood donors and patients from the Department of Orthopedics, 148 patients from the Department of Neurology, and 119 patients from the Department of Psychiatry. The overall positivity rate was 12.1% (59 of 489). Anti-cysticercus antibodies was detected in 14.9% of the blood donors and patients from the Department of Orthopedics, 11.5% of the patients from the Department of Neurology, and 7.6% of the patients from the Department of Psychiatry. Living in poor sanitary conditions seems to be an important factor related to human cysticercosis in Maputo, Mozambique

Urbanismo e arquitectura de Bracara Augusta: balanço dos resultados

Balanço dos conhecirncntos relativos ao urbanismo e arquitectura de Bracara Augusta, com base nos resultados das escavações realizadas desde 1976.Câmara Municipal do PortoFundação Calouste Gulbenkian e Junta Nacional de Investigação CiÊntífica e Tecnológic

Seroprevalence of human cysticercosis in Maputo, Mozambique

We carried out a serosurvey for cysticercosis among people visiting the Central Hospital of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, between January and June 1993. A standardized questionnaire was designed to obtain information on demographic, socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioral characteristics related to the transmission of the infection. Four hundred eighty-nine individuals were tested for anti-cysticercosis antibodies: 222 blood donors and patients from the Department of Orthopedics, 148 patients from the Department of Neurology, and 119 patients from the Department of Psychiatry. The overall positivity rate was 12.1% (59 of 489). Anti-cysticercus antibodies was detected in 14.9% of the blood donors and patients from the Department of Orthopedics, 11.5% of the patients from the Department of Neurology, and 7.6% of the patients from the Department of Psychiatry. Living in poor sanitary conditions seems to be an important factor related to human cysticercosis in Maputo, Mozambique.publishersversionpublishe

The imposition of Cauchy data to the Teukolsky equation III: The rotating case

We solve the problem of expressing the Weyl scalars $\psi$ that describe gravitational perturbations of a Kerr black hole in terms of Cauchy data. To do so we use geometrical identities (like the Gauss-Codazzi relations) as well as Einstein equations. We are able to explicitly express $\psi$ and $\partial _t\psi$ as functions only of the extrinsic curvature and the three-metric (and geometrical objects built out of it) of a generic spacelike slice of the spacetime. These results provide the link between initial data and $\psi$ to be evolved by the Teukolsky equation, and can be used to compute the gravitational radiation generated by two orbiting black holes in the close limit approximation. They can also be used to extract waveforms from spacetimes completely generated by numerical methods.Comment: 5 pages, REVTEX, no figure

Development of liposomal formulations for photodynamic therapy of cancer

Tese de mestrado integrado. Bioengenharia. Universidade do Porto. Faculdade de Engenharia. 201

Substrato cultural das etnias pré-romanas do Norte de Portugal

Este trabalho pretende equacionar o contributo e validade de diferentes tipos de fontes (escritas. epigráfiicas. linguisticas e arqueologicas) na definição de possíveis fronteiras culturais e étnicas na Proto-História (Bronze Final / Idade do Ferro) do Norte de Portugal. Após uma análise das fontes disponiveis, conhecidas para a região, estas são analisadas separadamente. É apresentado a quadro do povoamento sugerido pelas fonles escritas, sendo igualmente discutidos os contributos da linguíslica na formulação do quadro étnico desta área da Península. Tendo por base os resullados fornecidos pela investigação arqueológica mais recente (estudos realizados na década de 80) é apresentada uma proposta para a evolução cultural da Idade du Bronze Final e da Idade do Ferro. Nesta proposta são valorizados vários aspectos da cultura material, o habitat, a metalurgia e a cerâmica, que dispõe presentemente de quadros cronológicos de referência mais seguros. Finalmente, as autoras discutem os problemas que se colocam à articulação da informação sugerida por fontes diferenciadas, colocando a tónica na dificuldade de correlacionar a realidade arqueológica com a formulação de unidades sociais, étnicas e linguísticas

O consumo de álcool pelos jovens dos ensinos básico e secundário no distrito de Beja: constributo para a definição de um projecto de prevenção selectiva

álcool é a droga mais procurada no mundo, tendo-se registado um grande aumento do consumo pelos jovens. Este estudo identifica as representações que os alunos dos ensinos básico (9.º ano) e secundário das escolas do distrito de Beja têm acerca do consumo de bebidas alcoólicas, nos diferentes contextos sociais e, posteriormente, concebe e implementa um programa de intervenção preventiva selectiva do consumo de álcool, pelo jovens, em meio escolar

The building activities in ‘Bracara Augusta’. The building process of a city: the agents and the craftsmen

Os construtores e artesãos de Bracara Augusta assumiram um papel importante na economia da cidade. Formam um grupo de indivíduos complexo e diversificado, frequentemente invisíveis nas fontes escritas, cuja atividade recuperamos através da Arqueologia. A cidade conheceu, desde muito cedo, e ao longo da sua história, um protagonismo crescente, caracterizado por importantes funções administrativas e religiosas. Este crescimento político gradual foi acompanhado de uma significativa e permanente actividade construtiva, cuja análise nos transporta ao universo da economia, do mundo social do trabalho, da inovação e das modas. Neste artigo, procuraremos identificar os vários ofícios que estão por de trás desse dinamismo, frequentemente denunciados pelas estruturas e materiais que produziram, apreciaram e/ou adquiriram.Les constructeurs et les artisans de Bracara Augusta ont joué un rôle prépondérant dans l´économie de la ville. Il s´agit d´un groupe d´individus complexe et diversifié, dont les documents écrits parlent peu ou très peu, passible d´être discerné par l´archéologie. La ville a connu, très tôt, et tout au long de son histoire, une dimension croissante, signalée par d´importantes fonctions administratives et religieuses. Ce développement politique graduel a été accompagné d´une activité constructive notoire et permanente, dont l´analyse nous mène vers l´univers de l´économie, du monde social du travail, de l´innovation et des modes. Nous essaierons, dans cette réflexion, d´esquisser les différentes figures qui se cachent derrière ce dynamisme, cela à partir des traces qu´elles ont laissées sur les structures et matériaux qu´elles ont produits, appréciés et/ou acquis