anastrepha bezzii (diptera: tephritidae) larvae are common inside fruits of sterculia chicha (malvaceae) in minas gerais state, brazil. the seed dormancy and attack by a. bezzii of the native species s.chicha can be detrimental to seed germination and thus the natural spread of this plant. the objectives of the current study were to compare ecological observations of a. bezzii and s. chicha in ...

The rodent whisker system is a major model for understanding neural mechanisms for tactile sensation of surface texture (roughness). Rats discriminate surface texture using the whiskers, and several theories exist for how texture information is physically sensed by the long, moveable macrovibrissae and encoded in spiking of neurons in somatosensory cortex. However, evaluating these theories req...

Insects are successful terrestrial organisms able to locomote over a wide range of obstacles and substrates. This study investigated how foot morphology (tarsal structure) correlates with substrate adhesion and ecological niche in the Madagascan hissing cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa Schaum (Blattaria: Blaberidae). Using light and scanning electron microscopy, the morphology of the differ...

Background: The aim of this research was to investigate the efficiency methods overcome primary dormancy and biochemical processes associated with germination Erythrina falcata Benth seeds. Seeds were submitted overcoming treatments water uptake pattern analysed. We then evaluated activity antioxidant enzymes SOD, CAT, APX, quantified lipid peroxidation levels, hydrogen peroxide content total p...

Stress experienced in childhood is associated with an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders in adulthood. These disorders are particularly characterized by disturbances to emotional and cognitive processes, which are not currently fully modeled in animals. Assays of cognitive bias have recently been used with animals to give an indication of their emotional/cognitive state. We used...

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was used in the reflection mode to characterize the surface texture (roughness) of sliced food surfaces. Sandpapers with grit size between 150 and 600 were used as height references to standardize the CLSM hardware settings. Sandpaper particle sizes were verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mean amplitude (in micrometers) of surface varia...

Two-choice tests were conducted to examine the effect of surface roughness on the resting preference of bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L., on copper, basswood, and acrylic materials. The influence of pyrethroid formulation applications on resting preferences was also evaluated. Bed bugs were given the choice of resting between two sanded halves of each material tested. One half was sanded with a P...