scholarly journals EFFECTS OF BROWSING PRESSURE ON THE TEXTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF JUNIPERUS COMMUNIS L. BRANCHES

AGROFOR ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordi SALDO ◽  
Jordi BARTOLOMÉ
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Characteristics ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Survival Strategy ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Open Structure ◽  
Juniperus Communis ◽  
Textural Characteristics ◽  
Natural Park ◽  
Partial Consumption

In the Montseny Natural Park junipers scattered in the grasslands can be found. In some of these areas of the park, the breeding of small ruminants is allowed, while in others only find wildlife exists. Junipers develop differently if browsed, adopting spherical or conical morphotypes. This paper studies the mechanical characteristics of the shoots according to the sex of the bush and the branching regime to which they are subjected. 729 individual shoots were taken from male and female junipers exposed to browsing from goats and ewes and those not grazed and sampled at a different position from each bush. All the leaves were taken off the non-lignified end of the shot to be studied by a simulated bite. The strength needed to cut the apical twigs of junipers was measured using a Volodkevich jaw, which mimics the way incisors act, using a texturometer. The diameter of the branches differs according to bushes’ sex being larger for females and the individuals not exposed to predation pressure. Although the differences induced by sex were significant, differences due to grazing pressure were larger. The annual branches were thicker and longer in non-grazed junipers. This difference was not due to the partial consumption of the studied branches, as all the samples were collected in full. The continued browsing pressure leads to a survival strategy of growing, with branches tighter packaged as was evident in the analysis of the branching structure. The longer annual branches in non-grazed bushes allow for a more open structure. The force necessary to break the branch was significantly higher on females. This could be related to the fact that the females must bear the weight of the fruits. The elasticity of the annual shots was significantly higher on non-grazed junipers, a fact that could be considered as a way to tolerate herbivory.

scholarly journals Serological Investigation of Peste Des Petits Ruminants in East Shewa and Arsi Zones, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Getachew Gari ◽  
Biressaw Serda ◽  
Dejene Negesa ◽  
Fethu Lemma ◽  
Hagos Asgedom
Keyword(s):  
Significant Variation ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
High Seroprevalence ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Important Disease

Peste des petits ruminant (PPR) is an economically important disease of small ruminants with a rapidly expanding geographical distribution. There are fragmented reports to the occurrence and distribution of the disease in Ethiopia. A total of 700 serum samples were collected from goats and sheep to detect the presence of antibody against PPR virus using Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (C-ELISA). An overall PPR seropositivity was reported to be 48.43% in the area. There is no statistically significant difference in the seroprevalence of the disease between sheep and goats (50.85% and 46.68%), respectively. However, there was statistically significant variation (P<0.05) in the seroprevalence of the disease in young (33.9%) and adult (55.8%) age categories. The seroprevalence in male and female was 42.07% and 50.09%, respectively, where the variation was statistically not significant (P>0.05). High seroprevalence of Peste des petites ruminants in the study area indicated the virus circulation and endemicity of the disease. The disease causes substantial economic losses by affecting the livelihood of the farmers. Therefore, control measures should be put in place to minimize the loss associated with the disease.

scholarly journals Photochemistry differs between male and female Juniperus communis L. independently of nutritional availability

Trees ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariola Rabska ◽  
Piotr Robakowski ◽  
Ewelina Ratajczak ◽  
Roma Żytkowiak ◽  
Grzegorz Iszkuło ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Male And Female ◽  
Juniperus Communis

scholarly journals Sex differences in thigh muscles characteristics: a systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Fatigue ◽  
Mechanical Characteristics ◽  
Healthy Adult ◽  
Sex Characteristics ◽  
Muscle Injuries ◽  
Fascicle Length ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Thigh Muscles ◽  
Mechanical Mass ◽  
Female Subjects

Objective: To determine differences between male and female subjects in the thigh muscles characteristics, separated into architectural (pennation, thickness, and/or fascicle length), mechanical (mass, strength, power, and/or stiffness), neuromuscular (activity) and fatigue aspects, in order to better understand the sex-related differences in the risk of muscle injuries. Methods: A systematic literature search on Pubmed was performed with different keywords: skeletal muscle AND sex characteristics AND muscle contraction, with the following limits: humans and adults (19–44 years old). Studies dealing with hamstring and quadriceps muscles, in physiological condition, and comparison between male and female healthy adult subjects were included. Studies dealing with other skeletal muscles, injuries or physiopathology situation were excluded. Thigh muscular architectural, mechanical, neuromuscular and fatigue characteristics have been analysed to determine differences between male and female subjects. Results: Seventeen studies were included, reporting significant sex-related differences for thigh muscles architecture and mechanical characteristics and muscle fatigue, and especially quadriceps, while for thigh muscles neuromuscular characteristics the results were not consensual, and few information was available regarding hamstring muscles. Conclusions: Sex-related differences in thigh muscles characteristics, and especially quadriceps, have been reported for mechanical characteristics and muscle fatigue, while for neuromuscular characteristics sex-related differences were found to be moderate. Although several macroscopic muscle characteristics have been reported to be different between male and female healthy adult subjects, it is difficult to conclude on its exact relationship with higher muscle injury rates reported in male athletes during international athletics championships.

Small range distributions in the high Andes: two new species of Liaghinella (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae) from Colombia

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4277 (3) ◽  
pp. 399 ◽  
Author(s):  
VALENTINA CASTRO-HUERTAS ◽  
DIMITRI FORERO
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Posterior Margin ◽  
Type Locality ◽  
Female Genitalia ◽  
Small Range ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Eastern Cordillera ◽  
Species Diagnosis ◽  
Natural Park ◽  
Two New Species

Liaghinella Wygodzinsky, 1966 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae: Metapterini), is an endemic Neotropical genus with two described species, one from Jamaica and one from Colombia. In this paper we describe two additional new species from the high Andes in Colombia, Liaghinella heldamariae sp. nov from Monserrate and Villa de Leyva, and L. tuberculata sp. nov. from Chicaque Natural Park, both in the Eastern Cordillera. The new species were collected very close to the type locality of the previously known Colombian species, L. andina Forero, 2007. These two new species differ from L. andina by having both a pair of conspicuous tubercles on the posterior margin of the pronotum, and by the structure of the male and female genitalia. Species diagnosis and descriptions, digital macrophotographies, and a key to separate the species of Liaghinella are presented. A discussion on the small range distributions exhibited by the high Andean species of Liaghinella is provided. 

A remarkable new Coenosiini genus (Diptera, Muscidae) from Colombian Páramos

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4608 (2) ◽  
pp. 380
Author(s):  
JOÃO M. FOGAÇA ◽  
MÁRCIA S. COURI ◽  
SANDRA PÉREZ ◽  
CLAUDIO J. B. DE CARVALHO
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Natural Park ◽  
A New Species

The new genus, Sumapazomyia gen. nov., is proposed for a new species, S. inusitata sp. nov., from the National Natural Park Sumapaz, Bogota, Colombia. The unique morphology of the head and mouthparts, in combination with characters from the male and female terminalia, demonstrate that this new species represents a new and remarkable genus within the muscid tribe Coenosiini. 

scholarly journals Distribution of Galepsus spp. in Southern Africa and Life History of Galepsus lenticularis (Mantodea: Tarachodidae)

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 119
Author(s):  
Bianca Greyvenstein ◽  
Hannalene Du Plessis ◽  
Nicolas Moulin ◽  
Johnnie Van den Berg
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
First Record ◽  
Survival Strategy ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
History Of ◽  
Biological Aspects ◽  
The Mean

Galepsus Stäl is a genus within the Mantodea and has hardly been studied in Africa. The distribution of the Galepsus genus in Southern Africa was established, based on insect collection records, and the biology of Galepsus (Lygdamia) lenticularis Saussure, was studied. In Southern Africa, 11 species of Galepsus were recorded. The first record of Galepsus (Onychogalepsus) centralis Beier, in South Africa was recorded during this study. The mean number of eggs per ootheca was 49.8 (±21.1) and unfertilized oothecae were significantly shorter and contained fewer eggs than hatched and unhatched oothecae, suggesting that females might invest fewer resources into production of oothecae that will not produce prodigy. No parthenogenesis was observed during this study. Although the mean duration of the male and female nymphal stages were similar, longevity of adult females (91.2 ± 35.0 days) was three times longer than that of males (26.3 ± 15.4 days). This phenomenon as well as the long period (20 ± 14.1 days) between oviposition of different oothecae, and duration of the incubation period (20.25 ± 6.3 days) suggests a survival strategy to reduce competition between siblings. Total longevity of males (166.9 ± 38.8) and females (252.9 ± 54.2) differed significantly. This study provides information on the distribution of Galepsus spp. in Southern Africa and describes the biology of G. lenticularis under captive breeding conditions, and contributes to the understanding of various biological aspects of G. lenticularis which has never been studied before.

scholarly journals Preliminary study on mechanical characteristics of maxillofacial soft and hard tissues for virtual surgery

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Zhuang ◽  
Jie Chen ◽  
Qingcheng Liu ◽  
Fan Zou ◽  
Yuheng Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cutting Force ◽  
Mechanical Characteristics ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Haptic Feedback ◽  
Elasticity Modulus ◽  
Virtual Surgery ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Maximum Stiffness ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Hard Tissues

Abstract Purpose Virtual surgery system can provide us a realistic and immersive training environment, in which haptic force-feedback gives operators ‘touching feeling.’ Appropriate deformation models of soft and hard tissues are required for the achievement of real-time haptic feedback. To improve accuracy of modeling and haptic feedback simulation for maxillofacial virtual surgery, mechanical characteristics of soft and hard tissues should be explored. Methods Craniofacial soft tissues from one male and female cadavers were divided into two layers: skin and muscle. Maxillofacial tissues were divided into frontal, chin, temporalis, masseter regions. Insertion and cutting process were conducted using VMX42 5-axis linkage system and recorded by piezoelectric dynamometer. Maximum stiffness values were analyzed, and insertion curves before puncture were fitted using a polynomial model. Elasticity modulus and hardness of maxillofacial hard tissues were measured and analyzed using Berkovich nanoindentation. Results Tissues in different maxillofacial regions, as well as from different layers (skin and muscle), displayed various mechanical performance. Maximum stiffness values and cutting force of soft tissues in male and female had significant difference. The third-order polynomial was demonstrated to fit the insertion curves well before puncture. Furthermore, elasticity modulus and hardness of enamel were significantly greater than that of zygoma, maxilla and mandible. Conclusion Mechanical properties of hard tissues are relatively stable, which can be applied in virtual surgery system for physical model construction. Insertion model and cutting force for soft tissues are meaningful and applicable and can be utilized to promote the accuracy of response for haptic feedback sensations.

scholarly journals Predation Response of Vibrio fischeri Biofilms to Bacterivorus Protists

2012 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 553-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba Chavez-Dozal ◽  
Clayton Gorman ◽  
Martina Erken ◽  
Peter D. Steinberg ◽  
Diane McDougald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Alternative Explanation ◽  
Vibrio Fischeri ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Tetrahymena Pyriformis ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Survival Strategy ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Defensive Mechanisms

ABSTRACTVibrio fischeriproliferates in a sessile, stable community known as a biofilm, which is one alternative survival strategy of its life cycle. Although this survival strategy provides adequate protection from abiotic factors, marine biofilms are still susceptible to grazing by bacteria-consuming protozoa. Subsequently, grazing pressure can be controlled by certain defense mechanisms that confer higher biofilm antipredator fitness. In the present work, we hypothesized thatV. fischeriexhibits an antipredator fitness behavior while forming biofilms. Different predators representing commonly found species in aquatic populations were examined, including the flagellatesRhynchomonas nasutaandNeobodo designis(early biofilm feeders) and the ciliateTetrahymena pyriformis(late biofilm grazer).V. fischeribiofilms included isolates from both seawater and squid hosts (EuprymnaandSepiolaspecies). Our results demonstrate inhibition of predation by biofilms, specifically, isolates from seawater. Additionally, antiprotozoan behavior was observed to be higher in late biofilms, particularly toward the ciliateT. pyriformis; however, inhibitory effects were found to be widespread among all isolates tested. These results provide an alternative explanation for the adaptive advantage and persistence ofV. fischeribiofilms and provide an important contribution to the understanding of defensive mechanisms that exist in the out-of-host environment.

Mechanical Aspects of the Sprint Start in Olympic Speed Skating

1989 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jos J. de Koning ◽  
Gert de Groot ◽  
Gerrit Jan van Ingen Schenau
Keyword(s):  
High Power ◽  
Power Output ◽  
Mechanical Characteristics ◽  
Olympic Games ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Film Analysis ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Speed Skating ◽  
High Power Output ◽  
Winter Olympic Games

Mechanical characteristics of the sprint start in speed skating were measured during the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. From three-dimensional film analysis of the first 4 seconds of the male and female 500-m races, biomechanical variables were determined. The first strokes during the start appeared to be performed by a running-like technique. At a forward velocity of approximately 4 m/sec, the skaters are forced to change this technique to the typical gliding technique as used during speed skating at steady speed. In explaining the time differences on the first 100 meters of the 500-m speed skating race, the effectiveness of the push-off appears to be more important than the observed high power output levels.

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