Vincentbarrera5782

Cichlids are one of the most diverse and colorful groups of freshwater fishes in the world. Despite much investigation, the factors that promote speciation in these fishes are still uncertain. However, previous studies suggest that sexual selection on male color is one of the main drivers of speciation among these fishes. Metriaclima estherae is a polymorphic cichlid species from Lake Malawi, and thus provides an ideal model for the investigation of the importance of color as a species recognition cue. Metriaclima callainos is a closely related and morphologically similar species, with male color pattern very similar to that of M. estherae. We tested female choice by giving females of the two species a choice between conspecific and heterospecific males in the presence and absence of visual (color) and chemical cues. Results show that females of M. callainos were able to reliably recognize conspecific males, even when color was eliminated as a cue. However, females of M. estherae did not prefer conspecific males, although they were able to discriminate between red and blue conspecific color morphs by using chemical cues. These results suggest that species recognition cues may differ even among closely related species of cichlid fish, and that female preferences for male coloration may be weak in certain species. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is currently the most prevalent cause of chronic liver disease and constitutes a major risk for the development of end-stage liver disease. Led by hypercaloric diets and sedentary lifestyles characteristic of modern societies, NAFLD has a prevalence of 25% amongst the adult population worldwide. Moreover, NAFLD incidence is rising both amongst children and adolescents (1). Alongside basic biomedical research for novel therapeutic tools and the optimization of management strategies, currently based on lifestyle interventions targeting weight loss (2), health promotion initiatives targeting primary prevention through improvement of nutritional quality and physical activity habits are imperative to tackle this and other metabolic diseases. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Managed aquifer recharge is used to augment groundwater resources and provide resiliency to water supplies threatened by prolonged droughts. It is important that recharge facilities operate at their maximum efficiency to increase the volume of water stored for future use. In this study, we evaluate the use of distributed temperature sensing (DTS) technology as a tool to measure high-resolution infiltration rates at a large-scale recharge facility. Selleckchem Trilaciclib Fiber optic cable was laid out inside a spreading basin in a spiral pattern, at two different depths. The cables measured the propagation of diurnal surface water temperature oscillations into the basin depth. The rate of heat propagation is proportional to the velocity of the water, making it possible to estimate the infiltration rate from the temperature measurements. Our results showed that the infiltration rate calculated from DTS, averaged over the entire basin, was within five percent of the infiltration rate calculated using a conventional metering method. The high-resolution data obtained from DTS, both spatially and temporally, revealed heterogeneous infiltration rates throughout the basin; furthermore, tracking the evolution of infiltration rates over time revealed regions with consistently high infiltration rates, regions with consistently low infiltration rates, and regions that evolved from high to low rates, which suggested clogging within that region. Water utilities can take advantage of the high-resolution information obtained from DTS to better manage recharge basins and make decisions about cleaning schedule, frequency, and extent, leading to improved basin management strategies, reduced O&M costs, and increased groundwater recharge. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Astyanax mexicanus is a teleost fish that is in the process of allopatric speciation. Ancestral Astyanax are found in surface rivers and derived blind forms are found in cave systems. Adaptation to life in nutrient poor caves without predation includes the evolution of enhanced food seeking behaviors and loss of defensive responses. These behavioral adaptations may be mediated by changes in catecholaminergic control systems in the brain. We examined the distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase, a conserved precursor for the synthesis of the catecholamines dopamine and noradrenaline, in the brains of surface and cave Astyanax using immunohistochemistry. We found differences in tyrosine hydroxylase staining in regions that are associated with non-visual sensory perception, motor control, endocrine release, and attention. These differences included significant increases in the diameters of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive soma in cave Astyanax in the olfactory bulb, basal telencephalon, preoptic nuclei, ventral thalamus, posterior tuberculum, and locus coeruleus. These increases in modulation by dopamine and noradrenaline likely indicate changes in behavioral control that underlie adaptations to the cave environment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Paratuberculosis is an infectious, chronic, and incurable disease that affects ruminants, causing enteritis and chronic granulomatous lymphadenitis, characterized by malabsorption syndrome, its agent is the Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). Thus, the objective of this work was to identify and characterize MAP in buffalo herds slaughtered in Baixada Maranhense region. Samples of intestines, mesenteric lymph nodes, and ileocecal valves were collected from 115 buffaloes slaughtered at Baixada Maranhense slaughterhouses to perform the diagnosis by histopathological examination using staining with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and Ziehl-Neelsen, bacterial isolation, and real-time PCR. In the histopathology by H&E staining, there was evidence suggestive of paratuberculosis in 30% (31/115) of the buffaloes. With Ziehl-Neelsen staining, acid-fast bacilli (AFB) were visualized in 27% (26/115) of the tissue samples analyzed. MAP was isolated in 4.3% (5/115) of the fecal samples subjected to bacterial culture.