PURPOSE To detect whether chitin and sepia ink sponge (CS) can promote wound healing and elevate impact of CS on phagocytosis ability of macrophages. METHODS Forty-eight rats were assigned to four groups: Normal group (Normal), negative control group (Con), chitin and sepia ink sponge group (CS) and positive control Surgicel Gauze(r) group (SG). Deep second-degree burn model was created in ra...

We propose a graphical language that enables the specification of assistance systems for a given application, by means of a set of rules. We implemented it through the SEPIA environment, mainly composed of an assistance editor aimed at assistance designers, and a generic assistance engine able to execute the specified assistance for the target-application end-users, without a need to modify thi...

Cuttlefish are cephalopods capable of rapid camouflage responses to visual stimuli. However, it is not always clear to what these animals are responding. Previous studies have found cuttlefish to be more responsive to lateral stimuli rather than substrate. However, in previous works, the cuttlefish were allowed to settle next to the lateral stimuli. In this study, we examine whether juvenile cu...

Camouflage is the primary defense in cuttlefish. The rich repertoire of their body patterns can be categorized into three types: uniform, mottle, and disruptive. Several recent studies have characterized spatial features of substrates responsible for eliciting these body patterns on natural and artificial backgrounds. In the present study, we address the role of spatial scales of substrate text...

Objective(s): This paper aims to investigate synergistic inhibition of polysaccharide from Sepia esculenta ink (SIP), a newly isolated marine polysaccharide in our laboratory, on breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells exposed to cisplatin. Materials and Methods: Cell viability of MDA-MB-231 cells was determined by CCK 8 assay. Median-effect concentration was analyzed using Chou-Talalay method that was ...

Humans use shading as a cue to three-dimensional form by combining low-level information about light intensity with high-level knowledge about objects and the environment. Here, we examine how cuttlefish Sepia officinalis respond to light and shadow to shade the white square (WS) feature in their body pattern. Cuttlefish display the WS in the presence of pebble-like objects, and they can shade ...

Eye pigments of normal and mutant types of D. melanogaster have been extracted with water and fractionated by chromatographic adsorption on powdered talc. Spectra of all the fractions obtainable in solution have been measured and the general chemical behavior of the pigments is described. Two chemically distinct groups of pigments are found, to be identified with the earlier designated red and ...

Nest and or nest site reuse within and between breeding seasons was reported by the Euler's Flycatcher (Lathrotriccus euleri), the Sepia-capped Flycatcher (Leptopogon amaurocephalus) and the Gray-hooded Flycatcher (Mionectes -rufiventris) in forest fragments from southeastern Brazil. Nest and or nest site reuse between some years was frequent within a single breeding season by the Sepia-capped ...

A moving object is considered conspicuous because of the movement itself. When moving from one background to another, even dynamic camouflage experts such as cephalopods should sacrifice their extraordinary camouflage. Therefore, minimizing detection at this stage is crucial and highly beneficial. In this study, we describe a background-matching mechanism during movement, which aids the cuttlef...

Sepia ink oligopeptide (SIO) is a tripeptide extracted from Sepia ink. To test the hypothesis that SIO inhibits prostate cancer by inducing apoptosis, the effects of SIO on the proliferation of three human prostate cancer cell lines were examined using a CCK-8 assay. SIO significantly inhibited the proliferation of DU-145, PC-3 and LNCaP cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Flow cytometr...