Previous studies suggested a role for the rostral lateral periaqueductal gray (PAG) in the inhibition of maternal behavior induced by low doses of morphine in dams with previous morphine experience. ...In the present study, we first showed that unilateral NMDA lesions placed in this particular PAG region prevented the morphine-induced inhibition of maternal behavior in previously morphine-sensitized dams. As suggested by previous Fos data on the PAG, predatory hunting appears as a likely candidate to replace maternal behavior in the morphine-treated dams. By testing saline- and morphine-treated dams with live cockroaches only, we have presently shown that morphine challenge increased insect hunting. Moreover, morphine- and saline-treated dams were also observed in an environment containing pups and roaches. Although most of the saline-treated animals displayed active nursing and only occasionally presented insect hunting, all of the morphine-treated animals ignored the pups and avidly pursued and caught the roaches. We next questioned whether the rostral lateral PAG would be involved in this behavioral switch. Our results showed that unilateral lesions of the rostral lateral PAG, but not other parts of the PAG, partially impaired predatory hunting and restored part of the maternal response. Moreover, bilateral lesions of the rostral lateral PAG produced even more dramatic effects in inhibiting insect hunting and restoring maternal behavior. The present findings indisputably show that the rostral lateral PAG influences switching from maternal to hunting behavior in morphine-treated dams, thus supporting a previously unsuspected role for the PAG in selecting adaptive behavioral responses.
Currently, the genus
Arctia
Schrank, 1802 includes approximately 16 species in the Palaearctic region, depending on the taxonomic interpretation. Here, populations of the
Arctia villica
(Linnaeus, ...1758) morphospecies complex were studied from Europe to the Middle East (Turkey, northern Iran) by molecular methods. Morphological treatment has traditionally revealed the presence of five nominal taxa:
A. villica
(Linnaeus, 1758),
A. angelica
(Boisduval, 1829),
A. konewkaii
(Freyer, 1831),
A. marchandi
de Freina, 1983, and
A. confluens
Romanoff, 1884. The molecular approach tests whether they represent well-delimited species. Subsequently, this study corroborates the suitability of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) marker sequence for species delimitation. In total, 55 barcodes of the
Arctia villica
complex were compared, and two molecular species delimitation algorithms were applied to reveal the potential Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs), namely the distance-based Barcode Index Number (BIN) System, and the hierarchical clustering algorithm based on a pairwise genetic distances approach using the Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning (ASAP). The applied ASAP distance-based species delimitation method for the analysed dataset revealed an interspecific threshold of 2.0–3.5% K2P distance as suitable for species identification purposes of the Iberian
A. angelica
and the Sicilian
A. konewkaii
and less than 2% for the three taxa of the
A. villica
clade:
A. villica
,
A. confluens
, and
A. marchandi
. This study contributes to a better understanding of the taxonomy of the genus
Arctia
and challenges future revision of this genus in Turkey, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia as well as northern Iran using standard molecular markers.
This paper presents the pigment characterization in six impressionist and post-impressionist paintings by three leading Puerto Rican artists: Francisco Oller (1833–1917), José Cuchí y Arnau ...(1857–1925), and Ramón Frade (1875–1954). The paintings, belonging to the Corporación de las Artes Musicales and Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (San Juan, Puerto Rico), were investigated through a combination of complementary non- and micro-invasive scientific techniques. The use of non-invasive macro-X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF) and reflectance imaging spectroscopy (RIS) was applied for the first time to characterize Puerto Rican artists’ palette. The non-invasive approach was integrated with spectroscopic techniques such as Raman and/or Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, as well as high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detector and tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS/MS), when sampling was possible. While this technical investigation reveals pigments that are typical for late 19th/early twentieth century paintings, it also emphasizes some unexpected findings, including the use of cobalt green and synthetic yellow lakes, which enabled the date given to some of the paintings to be refined to post 1910 rather than their current dates of ca. 1890. This study confirms that the Puerto Rican artist’s palettes are very similar to their European contemporaries, underscoring both their European training and their attempt to adapt these methods of painting to a new Caribbean identity emerging from the Spanish American War.
Feedback control is applied to the problem of a viscoelastic Jeffreys fluid layer heated from below to investigate conditions for delay of the onset of convection. Interesting results for fixed ...Prandtl number 1 and 10 were found showing that for some conditions proportional control may not work as expected. Also, some limits of the feedback control in terms of the parameters of the system through an analytical approach by mean of the Galerkin method are discussed. In order to complete the study a numerical analysis was also performed to map the space of physical parameters. The results of this work are discussed and compared with results of previous authors while attention to small control adjustments is paid.
We sought to determine the contribution of psychological variables to risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Latinos enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), and to investigate ...whether social support moderates these associations, and whether inflammatory markers mediate the association between psychological variables and MetS.
Cross-sectional analyses at study baseline were conducted with a national Latino cohort (n = 1,388) that included Mexican Americans, Dominican Americans, Puerto Rican Americans and Central/South Americans. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the effects of psychosocial variables (chronic stress, depressive symptoms, and social support) on MetS. In addition, separate subgroup-specific models, controlling for nationality, age, gender, socioeconomic position, language spoken at home, exercise, smoking and drinking status, and testing for the effects of chronic stress, depressive symptoms and inflammation (IL-6, CRP, fibrinogen) in predicting risk for MetS were conducted.
In the overall sample, high chronic stress independently predicted risk for MetS, however this association was found to be significant only in Mexican Americans and Puerto Rican Americans. Social support did not moderate the associations between chronic stress and MetS for any group. Chronic stress was not associated with inflammatory markers in either the overall sample or in each group.
Our results suggest a differential contribution of chronic stress to the prevalence of MetS by national groups.
Abstract Intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) within the medial forebrain bundle of the lateral hypothalamus (LH) facilitates consolidation of implicit and explicit memories for a variety of learning ...paradigms in rats. However, the neural and molecular mechanisms involved in memory facilitation by ICSS are not known. Here, we investigated the influence of ICSS treatment on hippocampal gene expression in order to identify potential signaling pathways and cellular processes involved in ICSS-mediated cognitive improvements. Immunohistochemistry studies demonstrated that ICSS caused a rapid induction of c-Fos expression in hippocampal cornu ammonis (CA) 3 and dentatus gyrus areas. Moreover, using microarray or quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, we showed that ICSS modulates the expression of 62 hippocampal genes shortly after training. Most of the proteins encoded by these genes, such as calmodulin-dependent-phosphodiesterase 1 A (Pde1a), are part of signal transduction machineries or are related to anti-apoptosis, as heat shock 70 kDa protein 1A (Hspa1a). Importantly, 10 of the regulated genes have been previously related with learning and memory or neural plasticity, including the cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript (Cart), adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide 1 (Adcyap1), serum/glucocorticoid regulated kinase (Sgk), Ret proto-oncogene (Ret), and Fos. The fact that the Fos gene was differentially expressed in our microarray experiments validated our findings from our immunohistochemical studies mentioned above. In addition, using quantitative real-time PCR, we confirmed the observed expression changes for several of the genes identified by our microarray analyses. Our results suggest that ICSS may facilitate learning and memory by regulation of multiple signaling pathways in the hippocampus that may promote neuroplasticity.
The male of
Euphyia vallantinaria
(Oberthür, 1890) has been recorded for the first time from the Iberian Peninsula and its genital morphology has been described and illustrated. DNA barcode data are ...presented and compared with the other European
Euphyia
species.
Background: Ayanin (3,7,4’-Tri-O-methylquercetin) and 3,7-Di-O-methylquercetin (DMQ) are the main active metabolites isolated by bioguided fractionation from Croton schiedeanus, species known ...popularly in Colombia as “almizclillo”, which has been studied in experimental models in rats, exerting vasodilator and antihypertensive effects. Also, when the effect of these flavonoids was studied separately, important vasodilation was observed. Objective: To evaluate whether flavonoids from Croton schiedeanus have synergistic vasodilator properties when different combinations are used in isolated aorta rings. Methods: Cumulative concentrations of ayanin (10-8 M - 6x10-5 M or 0.01 μM - 60 μM) were assayed in the absence and presence of an increasing concentration of 3,7-Di-O-methylquercetin (DMQ) (10-8 – 3x10-5 M or 0.01–30 μM) in isolated rings from Wistar rats, pre-contracted with phenylephrine. The concentration-response curve with the maximal effect was compared with that obtained by Croton schiedeanus whole ethanolic extract (10-6 – 3x10-4 g/mL). Also, this combination was assayed in the presence of the nitric oxide synthetase inhibitor L-NAME (10-4 M) and the guanylate cyclase inhibitor methylene blue (10-4 M) to assess the role of the NO/cGMP pathway in this interaction. Results: Ayanin and DMQ display a dual interaction in vascular relaxant response: agonism at higher concentration ranges (10-6 – 3x10-5 M or 1–30 μM) and antagonism at lower concentration ranges (10-8 – 3x10-7 M or 0.01–0.3 μM). The efficacy at the highest concentration was greater than that obtained by the whole extract (Emax: 98.4% vs. 33.9%). This response was decreased but not reverted in the presence of L-NAME and methylene blue. Thus, the vasodilator effect of this combination does not depend entirely on the NO/cGMP cyclic pathway. Conclusion: The combined use of appropriate concentrations of these flavonoids could represent an advantage over Croton schiedeanus whole extract for vasodilator purposes.
Analyzing the structure of hybrid zones is important for inferring their origin, dynamics and evolutionary significance. We examined the geographic structure of phenotypic and genetic variation in ...the contact zone between two Mexican red oaks, Quercus affinis and Q. laurina. A total of 105 individuals from seven populations were sampled along a 600‐km latitudinal gradient representing the distribution area of the two species and their contact zone. Individuals were genotyped for nine nuclear and four chloroplast DNA microsatellite loci (ncSSR and cpSSR, respectively), and characterized for several leaf and acorn traits. The cpSSR data revealed extensive haplotype sharing among populations of the two species, while a Bayesian assignment analysis based on ncSSRs identified two main genetic groups, each corresponding to one of the species, and two populations in the contact zone showing evidence of admixture. The proportion of genetic ancestry in the populations was strongly associated with latitude and showed a pattern of variation with the shape of a narrow sigmoidal cline. The variation in three of the seven phenotypic traits was partially congruent with molecular variation, while the other traits did not conform to a geographic cline but instead were correlated with environmental variables. In conclusion, the hybrid zone between the two oak species has some of the characteristics of a tension zone, but heterogeneous variation across traits suggests differential introgression and the action of extrinsic selection.
We examined the geographic structure of phenotypic and genetic variation in the contact zone between two Mexican red oaks, Quercus affinis and Q. laurina, using nine nuclear and four chloroplast DNA microsatellite loci (ncSSR and cpSSR, respectively), and several leaf and acorn traits. The cpSSR data revealed extensive haplotype sharing among populations of the two species, while a Bayesian assignment analysis based on ncSSRs identified two main genetic groups, each corresponding to one of the species, and two populations in the contact zone showing evidence of admixture. The hybrid zone between the two oak species has some of the characteristics of a tension zone, but heterogeneous variation across traits suggests differential introgression and the action of extrinsic selection.
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