With activity sensors becoming smaller and more power efficient by the day, wearable activity sensors that anyone could wear just as easily as a wristwatch have become a feasible concept. We present a small lightweight module, called Porcupine, which aims explicitly at continuously monitoring human activities as long as possible, and as fine-grained as possible. The main focus in this work is n...

With the exception of the undesirable characteristic of summer dormancy and the accompanying low aesthetic value, crested wheatgrass has many desirable characteristics in semiarid environments, making it a promising candidate for lower water use turf. Using a population of 27 half-sib families, this study characterized the underlying genetics of turf quality (based on a 1–9 rating scale) of cre...

Dyskeratosis follicularis (Darier’s disease, DD) is rare autosomal dominant disease characterized by hyperkeratotic papules that coalesce into plaques and occur primarily in seborrheic or intertriginous areas. Associated findings include nail abnormalities. A 3-year-old boy presented with porcupine-like appearance for 2 years. The lesion from the back was taken for light microscopy and electron...

Studies report the occurrence of Leishmania (Leishmania) hertigi in northern states of Brazil. In the present investigation, we describe the isolation of L. (L.) hertigi from a porcupine (Coendou sp.) found in Brasília, Federal District, center-west region of Brazil. During a study on canine visceral leishmaniasis conducted in the city of Brasília, Federal District, a porcupine was found dead ...

Otiditaenia macqueeni, Raillietina sp., Paronchocerca tonkinensis, and Allodapa sp. were recovered from a group of rufous-crested bustards {Eupoditis ruficrista) which died after importation into the United Arab Emirates. Associated findings at postmortem examination in cluded cardiac rupture, weight loss, trichomoniasis, and enteritis. Histologie examinations revealed Paronchocerca sp. microfi...

Although amphibians have been widely promoted as indicators of biodiversity and environmental change, rigorous tests are lacking. Here key indicator criteria are distilled from published papers, and a species that has been promoted as a bioindicator, the great crested newt, is tested against them. Although a link was established between the presence of great crested newts and aquatic plant dive...

The objective of this study is to evaluate the ectoparasites and helminths of the white-crested elaenia, Elaenia albiceps chilensis. Feather mites Anisophyllodes elaeniae, Trouessartia elaeniae, and Analges sp. were detected in 51% of birds (n=106), whereas 24% were infected with lice (Tyranniphilopterus delicatulus, Menacanthus cfr. distinctus, and Ricinus cfr. invadens). Helminths Viguiera sp...

The objective of this study is to evaluate the ectoparasites and helminths of the white-crested elaenia, Elaenia albiceps chilensis. Feather mites Anisophyllodes elaeniae, Trouessartia elaeniae, and Analges sp. were detected in 51% of birds (n=106), whereas 24% were infected with lice (Tyranniphilopterus delicatulus, Menacanthus cfr. distinctus, and Ricinus cfr. invadens). Helminths Viguiera sp...

This paper explores the structure, composition, and mechanical properties of porcupine fish spines for the first time. The spine was found to be composed of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite, protein (collagen), and water using X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Microstructures have mineralized fibrillar sheets in the longitudinal direction and...