Carbon structures with three-dimensional periodicity at optical wavelengths

Porous carbons that are three-dimensionally periodic on the scale of optical wavelengths were made by a synthesis route resembling the geological formation of natural opal. Porous silica opal crystals were sintered to form an intersphere interface through which the silica was removed after infiltration with carbon or a carbon precursor. The resulting porous carbons had different structures depending on synthesis conditions. Both diamond and glassy carbon inverse opals resulted from volume filling. Graphite inverse opals, comprising 40-angstrom-thick layers of graphite sheets tiled on spherical surfaces, were produced by surface templating. The carbon inverse opals provide examples of both dielectric and metallic optical photonic crystals. They strongly diffract light and may provide a route toward photonic band-gap materials.     

Ocular dirofilariosis by Dirofilaria immitis in a dog: first case report from Europe

A five‐year‐old, entire female mixed‐breed dog was presented with corneal oedema and episcleral hyperaemia in the left eye. The ophthalmological examination revealed the presence of a free‐swimming nematode in the anterior chamber. Circulating microfilariae were not observed by a modified Knott test nor were adult antigens detected in serum by a commercial ELISA. The parasite was surgically removed from the dog's eye, but its anterior end was damaged during the surgery. Based on the morphology of the posterior end, the nematode was preliminarily identified as a male Dirofilaria immitis. The species identification was confirmed by PCR amplification and sequencing of the mitochondrial coxI and 12S rDNA genes, using a DNA barcoding approach. Although other cases of ocular dirofilariosis by D. immitis have been previously recorded in Australia and the United States, the case reported herein is the first in a dog from Europ.     

Feeding behavior of finishing goats fed diets containing detoxified castor meal,co-product of the biodiesel industry

An investigation was made into the feeding behavior of goats to evaluate the effects of a detoxified castor bean meal in the diet of goats. Thirty-six ½ crossbred Boer goats were used, with an average weight of 20?±?3.2 kg. A completely randomized design was used with four treatments (diets with of 0, 100, 200, and 300 g detoxified castor bean meals/kg dry matter) and nine replicates. Castor bean meal was detoxified using calcium oxide. Diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous, and the forage:concentrate ratio was 50:50. The feeding behavior was observed on the 17th, 45th, and 70th days of the experiment. For the evaluation of feeding behavior (feeding, idle, and rumination times), the animals were observed in 5-min intervals for 24 h. The addition of detoxified castor bean meal did not change (P?>?0.05) the evaluated behavioral variables. Linear reduction was observed (P?<?0.05) in the efficiencies of feeding and rumination, expressed in g dry matter/h. The variables related to the time series discretization of the feeding behavior of goats did not change (P?>?0.05) with the inclusion of detoxified castor bean meal. The inclusion of detoxified castor bean meal in growing goats’ diets does not change the feeding, rumination, and idle times, however, decreases intake, feeding, and rumination efficiencies of dry matter.

     

Melatonin affects conjugation of 4-hydroxynonenal with glutathione in liver of pacu, a hypoxia-tolerant fish

In cytosol from liver of pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus, a hypoxia-tolerant fish that dwells in Pantanal, we found an enzyme activity capable of modulating the alkenal 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) by conjugating it with glutathione (GST–HNE activity). HNE is a downstream metabolite from the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids by reactive oxygen species arisen from mitochondria of animal cells. HNE production may increase more intensively under oxidative stress. Harmful effects to cell survival may occur when HNE increases over 10^?4 M. Pacus submitted to hypoxia in July (cold season in Pantanal) showed 40 % less of this GST–HNE conjugating activity in their liver cytosol. Injecting pacus subjected to hypoxia during the cold season with a summer physiological dose of melatonin caused their liver cytosolic GST–HNE activity to increase up to the levels found in the warm season. From October to March (warm season in Pantanal), pacus are prone to oxidative stress particularly during potamodromous active oxygen-demanding swimming, when they migrate up rivers to spawn. Thus, our findings point out that the higher levels of melatonin in circulation during the summer are important to avoid the increase of 4-HNE inside liver cells of this fish species.     

The shared antibiotic resistome of soil bacteria and human pathogens

Soil microbiota represent one of the ancient evolutionary origins of antibiotic resistance and have been proposed as a reservoir of resistance genes available for exchange with clinical pathogens. Using a high-throughput functional metagenomic approach in conjunction with a pipeline for the de novo assembly of short-read sequence data from functional selections (termed PARFuMS), we provide evidence for recent exchange of antibiotic resistance genes between environmental bacteria and clinical pathogens. We describe multidrug-resistant soil bacteria containing resistance cassettes against five classes of antibiotics (β-lactams, aminoglycosides, amphenicols, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines) that have perfect nucleotide identity to genes from diverse human pathogens. This identity encompasses noncoding regions as well as multiple mobilization sequences, offering not only evidence of lateral exchange but also a mechanism by which antibiotic resistance disseminates.     

Identification of parasites in Puffinus puffinus (Birds, Procellariiformes) from Northeastern Brazil

Studies on the parasitic fauna of migratory sea birds of the Puffinus genus are scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify parasites of 16 specimens of Puffinus puffinus (Procellariiformes, Procellariidae) that died during the period of June 2011 to December 2011 at the Wildlife Screening Center (CETAS) of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Natural Resources (IBAMA) in Cabedelo, Paraíba. During necropsy, biting lice and/or gastrointestinal helminths were collected in seven (43.7?%) birds. Lice were collected in five (31.2?%) birds, and the species identified were Halipeurus diversus, Trabeculus aviator, Austromenopon paululum), Saemundssonia sp. and Naubates sp. The prevalence of helminths was also 31.2?%. The nematodes species were Seuratia shipleyi and Contracaecum sp., and cestodes were Tetrabothrius sp. This is the first record in Brazil of Naubates sp., Seuratia shipleyi, Contracaecum sp., and Tetrabothrius sp. in Puffinus puffinus.     

Fresh and stored copra meal in meat quail diets

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The aim of the current study was to evaluate the addition of fresh and stored copra meal to the diet of meat quails. Two hundred eighty-seven-day-old male...     

Genetic monitoring of broodstocks of the marine shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei in a closed rearing system in Pernambuco,Brazil

Loss of genetic variability can be detrimental to a population's survival traits and fitness. These effects are likely to be maximized in shrimp closed broodstock rearing systems where post‐larvae are often produced from crosses of breeders collected from an associated grow‐out farm after mass selection. Longtime broodstock management in closed systems is also expected to lead to reduction in or even complete eradication of genetic variability. The present work aimed at monitoring the genetic variability of a Litopenaeus vannamei hatchery in the state of Pernambuco (Brazil), during three successive replacements, using microsatellite markers. No significant genetic diversity losses have been observed through the values of mean heterozygosity (H_o=0.460 and H_e=0.660 in the first sample; H_o=0.420 and H_e=0.620 in the second sample; and H_o=0.600 and H_e=0.660 in the third sample). However, some alleles appear to have been lost after three replacements. The diversity level was considered to be high and is comparable to those reported for wild populations, suggesting that the original imported founder stock of Brazilian L. vannamei is likely to have had a high genetic diversity, possibly due to multiple origins.